Phillies ready to unleash King Cole

Tonight, a savior arrives in Cincinnati.

Until now, Beerleaguer had doubts this liberator known as Cole Hamels even existed. Many of us, including myself, will be seeing him pitch for the first time.

This week, the Phillies made a bold move in deciding Hamels had nothing left to learn in the minors, opting to take him along for their playoff push.

Along with lingering buzz surrounding Barry Bonds, a nine-game winning streak, Billy Wagner and the New York Mets, and Rowand's thrilling catch last night, King Cole is the icing on the cake of the most electrifying time in years.

The Phillies have had pitchers come through the farm system with excellent numbers, including Brett Myers and Randy Wolf, but Hamels is in a class by himself. In his three Triple-A starts, he went 2-0 with an 0.39 ERA, including 36 strikeouts in 23 innings. For his career, he has a ridiculous 1.43 ERA in 35 starts.

Hamels will face another former Phillies prospect in Elizardo Ramirez, who is 1-2 with a 3.18 ERA in three starts.

Comments

[THAT DUDE]

I REALLY wish we had never traded Easy Ramirez. I think he is a sleeper.

UNLEASH KING COLE!

[pawnking]

Hyperbole, thy name is Cole!!!

[Eileen]

Cole just struck out Ken Griffey Jr.....One inning down!

[Carson Book]

Hamels, chill out brotha! You're the man, no need to walk people now.

[Trask]

3 innings -- 0 hits

[Panda]

How is Cole looking? 0 hits lucky or 0 hits just that good? Wish I could have caught this game.

[J. Weitzel]

1 hit, 5 innings, 7 strikeouts. Lots of pitches (90+). But that's not what I'm looking at. I'm looking at a guy that already has shown flashes of being an ace pitcher. He might pitch with more composure than any pitcher on this starting staff.

On the other side, EZ is really doing a number on the Phillies. He just pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the 6th.

[Eileen]

Bummer....Cole is taken out and pinch hitter (Nunez) strikes out!

[kdon]

I simply do not understand Manuel. If you want to pinch-hit for Hamels, fine, lets blow the game open, but why do you hit Nunez over Delluci. If you want to be bold and go for the kill, do it. This is another of Manuel's half-assed moves. Oh, and there goes a HR. F'ck I hate this guy. It's a 2-0 game and youn bring in the guy who is smarting over loosing his spot!

[Deanna]

Someone please inform Ryan Madson that now is NOT the best time to be doing his Ryan Franklin impersonation. Thanks.

[J. Weitzel]

I agree with you, Kdon. Go for the kill in that spot with Dellucci, and also to sit Madson out of this one while he watches his replacement pitch a shutout. That's a spot where Madson was only set up to fail. I wouldn't be surprised if they've lost him for a while.

[kdon]

Hmmm. should we use one of our 3 LHP against Griffey...no, well he flew out. Dodged a bullet. Seriously, does Manuel EVER make mid-inning switches? Was anyone even up in the bullpen, say if Griffey and Kearns get on and Dunn comes up w/ the bases loaded?

OK, things are going well, we're winning, I'll try to keep my Manuel hatred at a minimum. THink positive, think positive...

[J. Weitzel]

Nice opposite field sac fly by Carlos Ruiz to make it 4-2.

[kdon]

Just to do some equal opportunity ripping, what is Narron doing keeping Shackleford in after Howard? This guy is a total lefty specialist and they have two more games against a team loaded w/ lefties.

Nice to see Vic do some serious hitting. The Phillies have had the best 1-5 outfielders in baseball for at least three years. This team has ridiculous depth...I really can't believe how good the talent level is and wow, Lieber is PH! Thank God the Reds are imploding.

[J. Weitzel]

All of a sudden, depth, some chips they could deal, and some pitching prospects starting to accumulate in the minors.

I love when pitchers are called on to pinch hit. Nothing better, especially when up by 6 runs late.

[Trask]

I have 4 tickets to the Reading game Saturday night. They are free if anyone would like them. Just email me.

[Mike]

Welcome back, Mr. Santana. Geary must be crying somewhere in Scranton.

[ae]

does Santana even know how to pitch? are we absolutely sure?

[Eileen]

I'm watching on Gameday...Is anybody warming up in the bullpen? Walking in a run....?

[J. Weitzel]

That's the second time they've brought Santana into a blowout game and were forced to use Gordon to save it.

[Manuel's Daddy]

hey can someone please tell me why they signed Santana. He was terrible with the Brewers with no pressure and bring him here to a team where there is always going to be pressure filled situations.

I really dont like Geary but god he's alot better than Santana. BTW what the hell happened to Brito he was forced into pitching last year and did decently.

Gillick you've shown that you're willing to make changes and admit your mistakes..so do the right thing and get rid of Santana and either bring back Geary or one of those other Scranton relievers like Minx, Brito, etc...god anyone check the Scranton reliever's stats there incredible for guys who even aren't considered prospects.

[kdon]

That "effort" by Santana is why every spot on the 25 man roster is valuable. Even though they get the win, this means that if GOrdon has to pitch tom., he will either be tired or unavailable Sunday. I know that Geary was sent down because of options, but man this dude is bad - 31 year-old journeymen with an 88 MPH fastball and no ability to locate. He posted a good K/9 last year, but that's it, the rest of his career is brutal. He has to go.

Also, complete random note, but I heard the Cincy announcers mention the ABreu-Stocker trade like every other crew so I decided to check Baseball Cube to see if Houston and Tampa were really stupid or unlucky. Answer: Really stupid. In AAA as a 21 and 22 year-old, he put up OPSs of .919 and .850. Wow!

Double WOW! Stocker was the PHils starting SS for FIVE years, if you include 93 season. It amazing how much you forget.

[J. Weitzel]

Daddy:
Thanks for bringing that up about SWB relievers. They have six of them with ERAs under 1.75. Very impressive.

[Eileen]

Cole Hamels was great -A darn shame he didn't get his first win! Victorino looks great too. As well as Vic did, I hope Rowand is not out for long. Imagine this team with Rowand, Utley, Howard, Rollins and Victorino playing? And if Hamels is for REAL? I am psyched! Any one have a real update as to how long Rowand is out? HOORAY for the win...Let's GO PHILS!

[Nat]

I thought Rhodes looked better than he has all year. Is there some reason he couldn't have continued into the ninth? Why take out a pitcher who is throwing well is my question, I guess. Oh, I almost forgot, they had to pinch hit for him. But I think Rhodes could have done as good a job of standing at the plate holding a bat and looking foolish as Lieber did.

[kdon]

Well, no need to burn out Rhodes for 2 IP with two more games against a team w/ Griffey and Dunn. A six run lead in the ninth is exactly the spot for someone like Santana. Too bad he really sucks.

[MG]

Criticizing Manuel for PH for Hamels with Nunez is unfair. With Victorino starting tonight in CF, Manuel doesn't have a single decent bat to PH with. Dellucci is mistcast as a pinchhitter and the rest of the bench has been woeful.

Hopefully Roberson will give the Phils another decent bat off the bench for the next 2 weeks. Wouldn't mind seeing Gillic trade a reliever for a utility IF who could PH off the bench.

[kdon]

Dellucci is miscast as a PH? Gimme a break. Before last year, he was always a spare part (including a very valuable one on the D'Backs 2001 World Series team). Dellucci is a very patient hitter and is perfect for a bases loaded situation. He is also a FAR better hitter than Nunez. Oh, and how quickly we forget his leadoff triple against the Mets. He is easily the best hitter on the bench and should have hit.

[Carson Book]

Allow me to preface this comment with the statement: Thank God we won!

Now: Manuel's move of pulling Hamels for the pinch-hitter Nunez was idiotic. Here's why...Hamels is pitching well, and still has another inning, possibly 2 in him, and there were already 2 outs in the inning. Nunez hasn't been stellar with the bat, so the chance that he'll actually get a hit in that situation isn't all that much higher than Hamels' chance. Moreover, Manuel was merely happy to get "5" from Hamels. Hell, that's probably all he wanted from him before the game started. Remember when Tejada came up last season and for the first few starts Manuel would pull him after 5 innings just because that's all he wanted from the beginning, despite the fact that Tejada had another 2 innings in him. Worst part of it all is listening to Chris Wheeler say "sometimes you roll the dice and it doesn't turn out the way you want it to", referring to Nunez's k then Madson's inability to pitch. What a fricken joke! We were lucky to win this game. I know people are going to tell me to calm down and that the Phillies won and that's all that matters, but I'm saying we're lucky to have won, the Reds gave us the game in the late innings with poor defense and wild pitching.

I was on the phone with my buddy when Hamels was yanked and just started yelling. I said watch this, Nunez gets out, and Madson comes in and gives up a 3 spot...well, I wasn't that far off!

*Positive note: thank goodness for having Victorino

[Nat]

kdon...

I think "exactly the spot for someone like Santana" is somewhere a long ways away from a pitcher's mound. 8 hits, 9 walks and 7 runs in 8.1 innings pitched. Yeeesh... he has nothing.

If Charlie is only going to let relievers go one inning no matter what, like last night, he better get more than five out of his starters or the entire bullpen will be burned out.

[Corey]

i'm sure glad they kept santana and sent geary down to the minors...."options" are obviously more valuable than ERA or outs or wins...

[Trask]

Mr. Schublues:

Please accept my apology. I did, in fact, have the wrong guy.

It was Thatdude who insisted Ruiz and Victorino both "suck."

I'm sorry

[kdon]

I couldn't agree more Nat, and I ripped Santana above. I just think that Manuel shouldn't be faulted for bringing in his mop-up guy in a mop-up role. If he had putched Rhodes 2 innings or brought in Gordon in a six run game, we would all be criticizing him for wasting his good arms in a blowout. Geary needs to come back, Santana needs to go.

[Billy Mac]

Does Dellucci have any trade value ? Is this someone the Yanks would have any interest in acquiring ? In 35 games, Dellucci only has 28 ABs for the Phils; he clearly is a spare part for the Phils that may provide more use for an AL team.

[Stick]

Yes, the Yanks would definitely want him. I know that his name is already being discussed by the Yankees beat writers. He has played there previously as well. Don't know if you'd get much for him though.

[alexy]

Maybe Dellucci for Farnsworth. He would be an immediate upgrade over Madson, Franklin, and Rhodes. Then: Santana is out, Madson goes to long relief to get straightened out, and Coste gets called up to the bigs (where, broken heart mended, he starts hitting again).

[Adam]

Hey, typing this from an Internet cafe in lovely Rosario, Argentina (about 3 or 4 miles north of Buenos Aires by car). Trying my best to keep up with baseball news, but I´m awfully busy of course. Really upset I missed The Catch and The Debut(s), but there will always be the rest of the summer to watch Hamels dominate.

In response to the thing about Dellucci: I think he has value, but we could not get Farnsworth for him. If I am correct, the Yankees are having middle relief problems of their own.

I talked to my dad on the phone yesterday, and asked whether he really thought the Phillies would keep winning, or whether this was just a streak. Basically, he said ¨No. This team is different. Something has gelled. I think this team is going to the playoffs.¨ I´m more of a stats guy, but right now, I am certainly ready to believe anything. Baseball is a weird and wonderful game.

[RickSchuBlues]

No problem, Trask. I'm just relieved that I hadn't ripped Victorino last month when everything was clouded with negativity. He's probably not starting material, but he can play and help a team, no doubt.