Rookie Cole Hamels makes his first professional start in his home town tonight as the Phillies and Padres begin a three game series.
Hamels (2-4, 5.44 ERA) represents perhaps the best non-hot stove, non-Myers storyline the Phillies have going. The 22-year-old left-hander, considered a major part of the Phillies future, earned his second win in his last start. In his brief tenure in the majors, Hamels has shown flashes of promise and has had little trouble striking out opposing hitters. His command and falling behind hitters has been a different matter.
San Diego will start Woody Williams (4-1, 3.08), who has won his last three decisions.
Chase Utley extended his hitting streak to a career-best 18 games yesterday. This came after the day Jimmy Rollins collected his 1,000th hit.
The Phillies are coming off a series win against San Francisco in which the bats caught fire. The Phils are the only NL team that can boast four hitters with over 50 RBIs (Howard, Burrell, Abreu, Utley).
The Phillies have won their last eight games at San Diego and had won 11 in a row against the Padres before losing the final two games of their series earlier this month.
GO HAMELS!
Posted by: Cable | Monday, July 17, 2006 at 10:55 PM
I have a question here. It's not totally directed at Cole Hamels, although it could be tonight. Here it is: Do Phillies pitchers ever bust opposing batters inside anymore?? It seems to me that the opposition is entirely too comfortable at the plate when facing Phillies pitching. Anyone else noticing this at all?
Posted by: Jon | Monday, July 17, 2006 at 11:00 PM
I've noticed that for quite some time now.
Nothing like a little bow tie to loosen the opposition up!
Hamels is having a nice little game so far.
How about that Ryan Howard?
Posted by: theragtopguy | Monday, July 17, 2006 at 11:54 PM
I'm not watching the game, just seeing what is happening on GameCast. And I know Hamels allowed that home run. But why take him out?
Especially easy to say that since White has faced 3 batters and all of them are on base...
Posted by: seth. | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 12:06 AM
not only don't the phil's pitchers throw inside enough - they don't throw 0-2 or 1-2 junk enough either. how many 0-2 fastballs have we seen over the last couple of years? way, way too many.
Posted by: Tim | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 12:32 AM
Yeah, I would have let Hamels finish the inning. Its not like Vinny Castilla is tearing things up this year and Hamels handled him well his first two times up.
All in all, a nice positive outing for Hamels. Hopefully he can find some consistency during the second half of the season!
Oh yeah, Howard is a beast!
Posted by: Jon | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 12:34 AM
Why is Franklin in this game?? He is pissing this lead away!! Never would have predicted that...
So Charlie... The two relievers you bring in to protect the lead are Rick White and Ryan Franklin. What an effin' idiot...
Posted by: Jon | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 12:41 AM
You know the Phillies deserved that 3-run bomb off of Cormier! Charlie Manuel's handling of the pitching staff has been absolutely pathetic tonight (and for most of the year as well). What a disgrace to waste a solid effort from Cole Hamels.
Now Charlie yanks Cormier after facing one batter. Someone needs to yank Charlie the hell out of here!!
Posted by: Jon | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 12:51 AM
I presume we all saw that lead going down the drain when Franklin led off the inning with a walk to Cameron. All 2 of us who were still watching, anyway.
Posted by: Casey | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 12:58 AM
What I want to know is where in the hell is the pitching coach DUBEE in this!
Why FRANKLIN in the 7th! If you bring him in you keep him in until someone gets to 2nd and then yank him.
Next CORMIER for his entire career had gotten righties out better then lefties, just like Tug McGraw. Why are they using him as a LEFTY OUT MAN!!!!
CORMIER is fine this year starting innings, but has let 50% of all the inherited runners score. He should have started the inning.
So guess what? A lefty hit a homer off of him. Ruining Hamels Win and then is pulled for Geary who should have started the inning in the first place after one batter.
What is going on with DUBEE and his advice to MANUEL is he giving advice and being ignored or giving advice and being listened to, either way some should be fired.
And now is DUBEE bullet proof because we signed his son?
THIS STINKS.
Posted by: SirAlden | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 01:02 AM
Now Fultz is on to add more fuel to the fire... Did I mention I cannot stand Charlie Manuel!! Fire him and his lame ass pitching coach Rich Dubee!!
SirAlden you are right on with what you had to say. Geary should have started the inning. Ramon Henderson is a better option than Ryan Franklin!! If you need a lefty out, Cormier is not the man. We have five million lefties in the pen and dumb ass Charlie brings in the one who cannot consistently get out lefties! Why is Castro even on this team? You cannot bring in Rhodes for one batter? Fultz probably had the best chance of getting Gonzalez out. This is the perfect example of why Manuel should not be managing this team. He doesn't have a freaking clue!!
Posted by: Jon | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 01:14 AM
EXACTLY JON,
Where is Fultz, Castro, or Rhodes for one batter.
Does anyone remember last year when Fultz only pitched to a lefty or two and then was pulled?
Why are they using Fultz as a full service reliever, his role last year worked.
Get Rid of the Pitching Coach and the 3rd Base Coach.
Posted by: SirAlden | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 01:30 AM
Jeez, don't get so upset about the Phillies losing. The worst thing that could happen right now is that they start to win a few games and begin fooling themselves into thinking they are some kind of wild card contender. That would only guarantee that we get to see even more of Mike Lieberthal, David Bell, Ryan Franklin and, of course, His Dopiness the Manager. Not until this cast of characters is out of the picture can I begin to take the Phillies seriously as a baseball team again.
Posted by: Nat | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 01:37 AM
I am going to play the devil's advocate and thank Ryan Franklin for his excellent outing tonight to ensure the Phils' loss.
The absolute last thing I want to see is this team make a run back to .500 and get back in the wildcard chase. It would mean there are no impactful trades made and the Phils will pick up some 2nd-tier pitching in an attempt to make the wildcard.
Weitzel and Good Phight have down some excellent posts lately on the deceprit nature of the Phils' farm system. Besides, Bourn, there are no positional players at either SWB or Reading that will help this team by '08. The Phils do have some pitching prospects at Reading and Clearwater but they are still need alot more time to develop. Plus, pitching prospects are so hit/miss and most times they miss. As for as Floyd is concerned, he is dead to me.
If the Phils' were a character in a war movie, they would be the character at the front-line who gets the regretful message from their HQ that their are no reinforcements coming and that they have to hold out at all costs. Then Dancy would yell "charge" and get a couple of runners killed.
Posted by: MG | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 02:06 AM
If Franklin was pulled when the first batter reached second, if Cormier had been given the ball at the begining of the inning, if Geary had been given the ball at the begining of the inning, if Castro, Fultz, or even Rhodes been brought in to face the lefty.
The Phillies would have won the game.
The Dubee and Manuel braintrust, has no Brain and I do not Trust them.
Posted by: SirAlden | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 02:08 AM
Is it me or does Rick White look like he should be playing in a softball league in North Jersey twice a week? He already has the gut and the stupid facial hair.
Posted by: MG | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 02:08 AM
Good point about more winning will lead to less selling, however if we are going to be sellers, then the trading should take place now rather than later.
I want the Phils to sell, yet I will still blast Manuel every chance that I get. He is a bumbling fool of a manager. It's a damn shame he wasn't replaced at the break.
Also, who has better #3 numbers? Abreu or Utley? I know its like saying who is the better #1 hitter? Rollins or Abreu? But back to the #3 idea:
Utley: .316, 74 Runs, 28 2B, 16 HR, 54 RBI
Abreu: .285, 60 Runs, 22 2B, 8 HR, 60 RBI
I hate Charlie and his unwillingness to ever try something different. How can anyone take him seriously...
Posted by: Jon | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 09:07 AM
explain to me why we dealt for castro again? i mean, i think it was a decent deal, but we've used in twice in 3 weeks and not since july 6. i mean, rick white? seriously?
Posted by: gr | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 10:03 AM
I saw Castro on the side of a milk carton . . . maybe that is why he was not available
Posted by: MG | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 11:50 AM
Was that Hamels' first hit last night? I was watching with the sound off and I just saw them roll the ball to the dugout after it.
If so, that sucks even more for him. He gets a hit, he puts in a winning performance, the bats give us 6 runs, and White and Franklin, to paraphrase another commenter, piss it away. That's the Phils for you. And we wonder why players want to be traded away.
Posted by: zach | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 12:48 PM
hamels looked *pissed* when he was watching franklin's heroic's last night. you could see the look on his face, "screw the pitch count, let me finish this thing, i cant be any worse than these jokers".
cole looked like he's starting to figure out how to throw in the bigs, he's really starting to miss bats. lieberthal's pitch selection sucks ass, as both solo homeruns were a result of a bad location CALL by the catcher.
cole is a definite keeper. he may be #1 by next year, he's developing that fast.
Posted by: joe | Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 02:12 PM