Phillies Lineup Starts Out Okay, Then Gets All “Laynce Nix-ish”

The Phillies are putting out a lineup today against the Blue Jays that could be emulating quite successfully the lineup they’ll submit on Opening Day.

March 17, 2013; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay (34) and catcher Erik Kratz (31) walk to the dugout before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Bright House Networks Field. The Players are wearing green for St. Patrick

So, as the teams gets to play pretend one more time in Clearwater, what are we looking at.

• Ben Revere CF
• Jimmy Rollins SS
• Chase Utley 2B
• Ryan Howard 1B
• Domonic Brown LF
• Laynce Nix RF
• Freddy Galvis 3B
• Erik Kratz C
• Roy Halladay P

Everybody but Freddy Galvis should be out there come April 1, unless it’s a “Mayberry” day and not a “Nix” day.  Either way, (hey hey!) this lineup is fun to look at until you get down into Laynce Nix territory and recall that Chooch isn’t around right now a few seconds later.

The Blue Jays aren’t pulling any punches, either, trotting out their monsters of rock and roll to humiliate their former beloved.

And yes, the story will be Roy Halladay.  He’s the biggest source of stress, he’s the biggest “if,” everything he does will be filtered through a lens of intense scrutiny.  That pitch slipped a little?  Control issues.  Cutter didn’t cut?  Getting too old to compete.  Openly dry heaving on the mound, then vomiting through the bars in Kratz’s mask when the catcher comes out to see if he’s okay?  The media would just concoct some kind of “omfg is Roy Halladay dying” narrative.

So we wait on bated breath to find out if our hero, white knight, and savior is going to be anything but a hobbled mess this season.  An overcast sentiment for another gorgeous Florida afternoon.

Perhaps the best indication thus far that we’ll soon be back in Philadelphia.