"Roy Halladay was smiling and upbeat the day after leaving Monday night's start with heat exhaustion.

"I thought I could get through it, but that last inning I felt like I was about to get wheeled off the mound," the Phillies ace said before Tuesday night's game against the Cubs at still sweltering Wrigley Field.

It was 91 degrees at game time Monday night and the heat index was 103. The oppressive humidity got the best of Halladay as he plowed his way through a 31-pitch third inning. After the inning, he removed his undershirt and wiped himself down with an ice towel in the dugout. He made it through the fourth inning but was removed feeling lightheaded and dizzy in the fifth.

The oppressive conditions were exacerbated by the ballpark. Wrigley Field is 97 years old. The dugouts are small, cramped and as hot as brick ovens on summer days. There is no air conditioned area behind the dugouts, as there are in many new parks, where a player can find relief.

"Between innings I couldn't get away from the heat," Halladay said. "I couldn't escape it. It got to the point where I kept getting hotter and hotter and I couldn't stop it."

Halladay was seen by two doctors after coming out of the game. He did not go to the hospital. He would not say whether he had an intravenous treatment.

"I feel a lot better," he said.

Halladay said he felt fine before the game. He made all his usual preparations for pitching in heat, paying particular attention to hydration.

"I've pitched on plenty of hot days and never had this before," he said. "The doctors couldn't tell me why it happened. Sometimes your body gets a little worn down and [the heat] gets to you and you get to the point where you can't catch up."

Halladay cut back a little on his between-starts workload Tuesday. He said he will be able to make his next start Sunday in Philadelphia, where the forecast calls for a hot weekend.

Is Beltran the guy?

It's no secret that the Phillies would like to add a bat to their corner outfield mix. Multiple reports out of New York say the Mets are willing to eat the $6 million that remains on Carlos Beltran's contract provided they got a top prospect in return.

Getting Beltran without adding to the payroll would surely appeal to the Phillies, who are in danger of reaching the $178 million luxury-tax threshold. The question is: Would they give up a top prospect for a rental player?

The Phils would like to add a right-handed bat to balance out their lineup and give them some help against left-handed pitching. Beltran, a switch-hitter, is having a strong season, hitting .287 with 14 homers, 59 RBIs and a league-high 28 doubles. He is hitting just .232 from the right side of the plate, but does have eight homers and 21 RBIs. As a left-handed hitter, Beltran is hitting .312 with six homers and 38 RBIs. If he came to Philadelphia, he would play rightfield."