CLEARWATER, Fla.—Roy Halladay vomited shortly after being pulled following the first inning of the Phillies 5-3 win over the Orioles at Bright House Field here, manager Charlie Manuel said.

“He was throwing up a little bit,” Manuel said.

Halladay lasted just 25 pitches, allowing one hit and one walk before exiting through the Phillies clubhouse. He remained there for a while after, but was unavailable to the media for comment.

Team officials announced during the game that Halladay was grappling stomach issues. Earlier Sunday, closer Jonathan Papelbon was scratched from a scheduled outing with the same thing.

Concern mounted after Halladay was blasted for seven runs in just 2 2/3 innings against the Tigers on Tuesday. Team officials said they were encouraged by Halladay’s next bullpen session, on Thursday. But their worries would be mitigated only by a solid, lengthy performance.

This wasn’t it.

Both Manuel and Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said that Halladay wouldn’t be plucked from the spring rotation for today alone. But they also insisted that he needs to get healthy.

“Probably on his regular turn,” Dubee said of when he’ll pitch next. “We'll see how sick he is. I know he was sick yesterday. I didn't know if he was going to make it out of the bullpen today.”

Manuel said Halladay told Dubee that he wasn’t feeling well during warm-ups. The way Dubee spoke, it seemed as if Halladay didn’t need to.

“He was bad,” Dubee said.

Erik Kratz, who caught Halladay on Sunday, said he saw much of the same after the inning.

“He was hurting pretty good,” he said. “I’m not a doctor. But I can see sick. I’ve seen sick and that was sick."

Was there ever any thought to pulling the plug on Halladay pregame?

“Yeah,” Dubee said. “But I mean, again, he got cranked up and warmed up fine again. I didn't know how long he was going to be able to go, because I knew he was going to be weak, and I knew he had some problems with his stomach.”

“He wanted to go out there and try,” said Manuel.

If the coaching staff gave their ace leeway, it was likely because of the importance of this juncture in prepping him for the regular season. To date, Halladay has thrown over 30 pitches just once in five outings, and just 118 total in the spring. Last spring, he topped 30 pitches three of five times, and threw 170 total. This being a World Baseball Classic year lengthens the spring and allows for an extra start, but Halladay has, at best, two starts left.

Dubee said he actually thought Halladay looked better than he did Thursday. Though he admitted he didn’t see any velocity readings – scouts said he was in the 85 to 88 m.p.h. range, making for the third straight spring start Halladay hasn’t hit 90 m.p.h. – Dubee offered other points of praise, among them, the action in Halladay’s slider, a pitch he adopted last year.

“And he was doing it with no legs,” Dubee said. “Really, I thought he was fine.”

How dominant Halladay can be is the ultimate question, though for the moment, the primary consideration has to be whether Halladay will be ready for the first week of April.

Halladay has opened a season with a much lighter spring workload than this. In 2007, according to data from MLB.com, Halladay threw just 50 pitches over four spring training games with Toronto. In 2009, he threw just 84 over seven games before his last season with the Blue Jays.

But Halladay was a different pitcher then. And since coming to the Phillies, he’s been tasked with a considerably heavier workload in his springs, throwing 125 pitches over five games in 2010, 137 pitches over five games in 2011, and 170 over six games last season.

“We'll see how long he's sick,” Manuel said. “But that shouldn't hurt him.”

Also on the docket now is where Halladay figures in the rotation. Manuel said on Sunday that had yet to be determined. Earlier in the spring, Dubee said he hoped to position Halladay, a righty, between lefties Cole Hamels, earlier this week named opening day starter, and Cliff Lee.

“I don't think we've really made that decision yet,” Manuel said.

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