All together now: Don't panic.
Yes, Phillies fans, this is not the start you were hoping for, and certainly not the one anyone expected.
There are dark clouds forming around this team already, after they got thumped again by their East Division rivals the Braves Wednesday night, 9-2.
The Phils have now dropped two games to the Braves and surrendered 16 runs in the process. And that is after sending Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay to the hill.
Halladay sits at the top of last night's problems. The former ace right-hander took the mound after what can best be described as a problematic spring in which he once again struggled to regain the velocity that once made him a premier power pitcher.
The good news? Halladay struck out 9. The bad news? He lasted only three and a third innings, took 40 pitches to get through the first inning, and dug the Phils another early hole by surrendering a homer in the first.
His line? Not good: 5 earned runs on 6 hits, and three walks. He threw 95 pitches and didn't get out of the third, and looked none too happy when Charlie Manuel went to get him.
Halladay's off-speed stuff was fine; he had hitters swinging and missing all over the place. But his velocity remains a serious issue.
The Phils desperately needed a strong performance from their former ace, or at least a night when he pitched deep into the game. They got neither, and that will cause lots of concern.
Here's beat writer Dennis Deitch's account of the night.
It now falls on Cliff Lee to try to right the ship and prevent the Phils from returning home with an ugly 0-3 mark. If Lee gets lit up, the Phils could be looking at a chilly reception for the home opener Friday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
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