Game chat: Under early scrutiny, Hamels goes again

Cole Hamels (2-0, 5.06) makes his third start when the Phillies and Marlins play the deciding game of their three-game set today at 1:35. Nate Robertson (1-0, 3.60) is on the hill for the Fish.

Preview: The Phillies have listed Kyle Kendrick as Tuesday's starter in Atlanta, but have yet to determine their rotation beyond that. ... Ben Francisco replaces Raul Ibanez this afternoon in left field; Ibanez is hitless in his last 11 at bats. He also does not have good numbers against Robertson, while Francisco has him in his book. Carlos Ruiz also returns behind the plate. ... The Phillies are hoping Hamels can step up to become the reliable top-of-the-rotation compliment to Roy Halladay and bookend this series with a pair of wins.

Bullpen help on the way? Keep your eye on this folks: Left-handed bullpen sponge Jake Woods was released to make room for veteran Oscar Villarreal, who is attempting to comeback from Tommy John surgery and other setbacks. Villarreal, 29, had some success early in his career as a back-end reliever, but has been ineffective since 2007 with Atlanta. He did not pitch in the majors last season. He signed a minor league deal with the Phillies this offseason.

Meanwhile, Mike Drago reports that Scott Mathieson, also making his way back from Tommy John, has been lights out at Lehigh Valley, where he has allowed just three hits and no runs over six innings. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro has said he thinks the right-handed dart-thrower can help the Phils' bullpen at some point this season. (And get this: Anthony Hewitt, Philadelphia's No. 1 pick in 2008, is off to a fast start with a pair of HRs and a .423 batting average - second-best in the organization - in his first seven games at Lakewood, Drago reports. Good news there as well.)

The Phillies have also reportedly been seen scouting the Blue Jays, with the thought that they may be trying to land left-handed veteran Scott Downs.

Comments

[MG]

If the Phils are still trying to land a lefty reliever, it tells you that they aren't too optimistic that Romero is going to contribute this year in a meaningful way.

[bay_area_phan]

You can obviously never have too many bullpen reinforcements. Still, it's interesting to note that, in addition to the 7 guys currently in our pen, we've also got Romero & Lidge who are virtually certain to return. Plus, we've got Blanton coming back, which will force another pitcher off our roster. Plus, we've got potential bullpen reinforcements in Mathieson & Villareal. And it seems Rube's still out there looking for more.

All of this emphasis on the pen does lead me to suspect that, if injuries/ineffectiveness continue to plague our starting rotation, Rube might look to one of the present members of our bullpen as the solution.

[Sophist]

Good news on Mathieson. Would be a good story and the Phils could really use his arm.

[NEPP]

From the last thread:

The only appropriate WS winner to boo from the 08 team is Adam Eaton. And that's not because he was terrible on the field. Its because of his actions off the field including refusing to go to Florida to stay sharp in case of injury, ripping the team repeatedly and being an complete douche.

I wouldn't even boo Bruntlett.

Anyone that would boo Hamels needs to check themself and honestly, go fvck themself as the guy carried us to our first WS victory in 28 years. As BobbyD says, there is no one on the current team that deserves booing.

Why do we need Scott Downs? We need STARTING pitching, not relief. Bastardo is fine till Romero comes back.

[MG]

Day start against a team that has hit Hamels well including a couple of guys that have really had some good numbers against him including H. Ramirez, Ross, and Cantu. Getting Coughlan back too is a lift today since he smoked Hamels last year.

If the Phils are going to win this, they need to beat up on Robertson and get to middle relief by the 6th. Going to take 5-6 runs today to win this game because I see Hamels giving this team another mediocre outing (6 1/3 IP, 4 ER)

[NEPP]

Hamels will be good today...7 IP and 2 ER or less.

[Dukes]

MG - i think it says more about their faith in bastardo than romero. i think they see romero as more of a full inning guy than a left handed specialist.

[GBrettfan]

I don't know about that, MG, just hedging their bets and recognizing that even if Romero comes back and performs well, it might not be enough. SP has yet to prove itself capable of sparing the 'pen much.

I like the comments about not booing hometown players unless they aren't making an effort or are hostile to fans. It's fine to critique them to your friends or fellow bloggers, but that's different. Although I agree that Eaton was boo-worthy. I wouldn't boo, but I can understand the booing. He always seemed to have an excuse for his performance, didn't seem to accept responsibility. One thing I liked about Brett Myers was his ability to admit "I sucked."

Let's go, Phils!

[MG]

Either Ross or Cantu is going yard today against Hamels. My bet is Cantu on a fastball.

[Murgatroid]

Or it could be because they don't view Bastardo as a reliable bullpen option. If we get J.C. back and send Bastardo down, we'll still only have one lefty in the bullpen.

[MG]

Hell, I would love to see Downs here. I just can't imagine though that the Jays would trade away one of the key relievers when they are off to a good start unless they got a pretty good offer.

Downs is a better pitcher than either Romero or Bastardo and is tailor-made for CBP (Gets tons of grounders, has fairly decent control, and doesn't give up a ton of HRs).

[mikes77phillies]

Go King Cole. Shut these crybabies up.

[NEPP]

Thus, he would be costly in prospects and we are short on prospects. Thinning out an already thin farm system for a lefty reliever is just stupid and short-sighted.

[GBrettfan]

I recommend this editorial by John Gonalez. http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20100418_Gonzo___Philly_unfairly_catching_flak_for_ballpark_incident.html

It's about Philly unfairly picked on for bad fans. It's just a fact of life that the media will always make something of an easy story. Happens everywhere all the time. And a story about an unruly Phils fan is as easy as one about a snowstorm in CO or a celebrity scandal. Everyone expects it and enjoys talking about it. Some strange quirk of human nature exploited by the media.

[MG]

Agreed NEPP. It doesn't make sense to trade for a guy like Downs at this point for several reasons. Bastardo hasn't been horrible & Romero look like he will be back by the end of the month (if not sooner).

[G-Town Dave]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(j/k)

[Dukes]

Breaking News! Hamels drops a curve and it was a beauty!

[MG]

Nice curve there. Ramirez was looking changeup all the way there.

[Jack]

Bad call. Chooch nailed him there.

[MG]

That jump was ridiculous. I understand the Phils don't stress throwing over to 1st but asking an awful lot of Ruiz/Schneider to try to throw out guys who have that kind of lead.

[Dukes]

seriously, that was the best curve hamels has thrown in at least a year. that was very encouraging.

anyone else feel like these comments refresh slow?

[joe l]

Dukes -- try clicking on the timestamp of the very last comment. For whatever reason, it seems to show the latest comments more often then simply reloading the page.

[Dukes]

thanks, joe

[Jack]

Jeez, we just made Nate Robertson look pretty good. This is a game I would really like to see the Phillies win.

[GBrettfan]

Facing an unfamiliar pitcher? Probably won't see any offense for at least the first go-around of our line-up.

[GBrettfan]

Hamels gave up a HR to Uggla? Wow, big surprise there!

It's ok, Cole. Just shake it off and do your thing.

[rjb360]

cutter doesn't fool uggla

[TK]

Hamels curveball, everyone. What a terrible pitch there to Uggla.

[rjb360]

The curve is looking nice, Cole just needs to stay down in the zone a bit more or it could be a long day.

[Dukes]

i thought it was a curve at first, but tmac and wheels said it was a cutter. his curve has more break than that pitch did.

Let's go out and score some runs now.

[G-Town Dave]

Good thing it's nice & cool out this afternoon. Meltdown: Avoided ... for now.

[Jack]

Werth finally puts an AB together.

[Dukes]

time for a ben fransico treat

[MG]

Emmel is giving both guys the outside corner. Not so much on the inside corner although it is still a pretty healthy strike zone for both starters so far.

[G-Town Dave]

Milwaukee handed Marquis his a** today:

0IP, 4H, 7ER, 1BB, 0K, 20.52ERA

The Brewers must have been taking advantage of a bunch of bad pitches.

[MG]

Chance to help himself here in a big way.

[rjb360]

Patience is key to the game today.

Robertson is really challenging batters inside, I bet Chase rocks one if he sees him three times.

[Dukes]

remember the happ for marquis rumors last year? thank god that didn't happen.

[MG]

Nice play by Coughlan there.

[MG]

Ugh. Just a poor fastball that was supposed to be on the outer corner.

Wheels is 100% correct. With Hamels it is going to come down to fastball location and that just hasn't been there so far this season.

[GBrettfan]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20100418_Inside_the_Phillies__Phillies_have_reason_to_worry_about_Lidge.html

Interesting speculation about Lidge. If it comes to it, then by retiring he'd be doing us a favor. Problem is, it can be tough to decide whether it's time to call it quits. Seems too soon to throw in the towel to me, and for an optimist like Lidge, I would think it's out of the question.

[TK]

Am I the only one thoroughly annoyed at Cole's apparent inability to get pitchers out? It is really friggin' annoying. They seem to get at least one hit off of him every god damn start.

[MG]

Coughlan looks like he is lost at the plate. Couldn't even pull the swtich there.

[Old Phan]

I'm not annoyed by Cole giving up a hit to a pitcher if he retires the top of the order 1-2-3.

[MG]

That was a great job by Hamels to not get flustered after making a mistake to a guy who can't hit a lick. Made his pitches and didn't make a mistake to some good hitters there including Ramirez.

[MG]

Fish have been playing very solid defense so far. Atypical and hopefully it doesn't last.

[Jack]

The top of the lineup's performance is much more of a problem today than Hamels (at least so far). 1-8 from the top 4 in the lineup. Not gonna get it done.

[MG]

Jack - Yeah. Robertson had done a really good job against Utley & Howard so far. I would love to see Utley & Howard's stats against LHP starters they have never seen or have hardly seen. I would bet they pretty awful.

[MG]

Lousy curve there.

[MG]

Really good block there by Chooch to keep Uggla from advancing.

[Meyer]

Stop it here Cole. Think 2.

[Jack]

Sadly, that throw is actually improvement for Ryan.

[MG]

Lucky that didn't go into RF. Howard has seemed to improve a bit defensively but his throws to the right-hand side are still pretty poor.

[rjb360]

I have a heart attack every time Howard throws the ball. It's just incredible how terrible his arm is for professional baseball player.

[Old Phan]

Nice job, Cole.

[rjb360]

Nasty pitch to end the inning there.

[Dukes]

old cole

[MG]

Glad to see Ruiz went with the changeup there down. It was the obvious call. Too bad TMac still can't identify what offspeed pitch it is. Maybe by 2012 he will be able to.

[BobbyD]

Can't see game. Does Hamels look as good as his stats? 4IP, 1R, 0BB, 54 pitches.

[Old Phan]

The throw to 2nd is the one area that Ryno still needs to do a lot of work.

[phlipper]

"Milwaukee handed Marquis his a** today:"

I wonder what the record is for runs allowed without recording even one out.

[Dukes]

i know he was safe but why in the world did he swing 3-0 there. first batter up in a 1-0 game...stupid.

[Old Phan]

Nice hustle, JW

[MG]

Both teams & their hitters need to stop bitching about the strike zone. Emmel has been generous with both guys giving them the outside corner & the low strike here.

[Old Phan]

Benny Frank!

[Jack]

That's a bad break on the ground-rule double. Really bad break with Castro, Ruiz, pitcher coming up.

[Dukes]

bobbyd: my opinion is that cole looks the best he's looked in a long time. i feel like he's gotten better in each of his 3 starts. hopefully i'm not speaking too soon.

[Old Phan]

Seems like Emmel is being consistent.

[Jack]

Werth should have been tagging up there. With the pitcher on deck, you HAVE to try and score there. Really bad baserunning.

[MG]

Castro swings at a ton of first pitches. I would give him offspeed crap away almost every time up until he would adjust.

[rjb360]

Ahh atypically awful baserunning from Jayson there. Could be a killer.

[J]

Poor job by the offense. 2 on no outs, but don't score.

[Old Phan]

Phils really shouldn't depend on Hamels to get the big hits today.

[G-Town Dave]

Hamels finally looks half-decent, & the offense is laying an egg. That figures.

[Dukes]

missing jimmy today. it's not just his bat in the leadoff spot, it's what it does to the rest of the lineup.

[MG]

Well this offense scored a boatload of runs the first couple of series because they had a ton of hits with RISP. Bound to come back to earth but that was a piss poor inning.

Need to score with 2nd & 3rd with nobody out. Werth had a mental gaffe that cost them a clear run.

[Jonesman]

That is so f$%%ing frustrating!!!

[Jack]

If Francisco's ball hit the wall instead of bouncing over it, we'd be tied 1-1 now.

[Dukes]

ruiz hit that ball pretty hard. i thought it was going to drop. they had him played perfectly.

[rjb360]

If Hamels keeps it up he's poised to give the bullpen some more needed rest.

[Mick in Houston]

The silver lining is Nate Robinson's pitch count. He is at 71 through 4 innings and the top is coming up in the fifth. Right hand bats should get something going off him.

[GBrettfan]

Stranding a runner on 3rd with fewer than 2 outs....That's the Phils we know and love!

[Clint]

the astros could score with men on 2nd and 3rd and no outs

[MG]

Hamels' fastball location is better today but he has benefit too from a generous strike zone today. So has Robertson.

[rjb360]

Hate to say it, but that's the second catchable grounder to get past Polanco this game.

[Noah]

Great job striking out Hanley on consecutive pitches there, one looking, one swinging.

[rjb360]

Wow, that pitch has been a strike the rest of the game. Good thing it didn't shake Hamels.

[Old Phan]

Good job, Cole.

[Matt]

I think there's some correlation to the way the offense has quieted and the drop in temperature. We were at hittin' season early on due to the warm air; now that it's chilled, so has the offense.

[Meyer]

Hamels has the old game face on. No hands on hips with scowl from Cole to Werth is a big advancement.

[MG]

Ruiz has done a good job of calling the game today especially against Ramirez. Had him off-balance so far.

[G-Town Dave]

Mick: Good point. If the Phils can manage to get rid of Robertson, they'll almost certainly have their share of chances vs. the Marlins bullpen.

[Unikruk]

I would love to see Cole win a 2-1 day game. 8-1 would be better, of course.

[BobbyD]

GBrett: was thinking the same thing.

[Jonesman]

Cole looks good, if it weren't for a 320 foot homer he would have a shutout, but Werth and SanFran are the only ones who have not looked like crap in the lineup.

[Old Phan]

Utley needs to tie it here.

[rjb360]

Wow is this the Marlins defense?! Hard to believe they have made a lot of good plays so far while the Phils infield has been mediocre.

[THe Dude]

Season=Over!
Its been cold out so the bats go silent last few days

[kart racer]

The pitch Hamels struck out Hanley with, looked like it had more movement than his normal fastballs. Was that the cutter?

[dlhunter]

@Clint

"the astros could score with men on 2nd and 3rd and no outs"

Yea, but Ed Wade's Astros can't get men on 2nd and 3rd and no outs to begin with...