Cole Hamels is Awfully Good: Phillies 2, Cardinals 0 (11)

by WholeCamels on Jul 22, 2010 9:36 PM EDT

Ace. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Bad luck, poor preparation, lack of intestinal fortitude, whatever it was that hexed Cole Hamels throughout 2009, it appears to be gone.

The Phillies lefthander was utterly brilliant today, allowing a single hit and one walk over eight innings pitched, striking out seven and keeping the Cardinals off the board. Which turned out to be necessary, because the Philadelphia offense spent the better part of 10 hapless innings putting runners on base and failing to get them home.

While Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright was not as strong as Hamels, he still pitched very well, albeit a little less efficiently, allowing six hits over six innings put throwing 97 pitches before being pulled before the seventh inning.

The Phillies finally broke through in the top of the 11th on a Placido Polanco solo home run off reliever Kyle McLellan. And (wait for it), a base hit with a runner in scoring position for Jayson Werth, whose RBI double drove Raul Ibanez in from second base to give the Phillies their second run.

After walking the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the 11th, Brad Lidge retired the next three hitters in order for his 8th save.

With the victory, the Phillies averted a possible Chernobyl sweep, and kept it contained as a mere Three Mile Island.

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It’s a shame we can’t hit, because Halladay and Hamels are a pretty tremendous 1-2.

He touched 96 today, and is really starting to figure out how to use the cutter. Given good health, I’m not sure his best years aren’t still to come, which is pretty exciting.

by dajafi on Jul 22, 2010 9:58 PM EDT reply actions

So long as his health stays good, I think that his best days may very well be ahead of him— I have seen more of him than anyone else on the staff (in terms of games actually watched as opposed to AtBat), and have been wowed by the way that he is pitching. I am probably going to the game on Tuesday— I am looking forward to seeing him pitch live again.

by dannijd on Jul 22, 2010 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions

My favorite part of Cole’s pitching today was when he got two straight batters to hit the ball straight into the ground in front of home plate for ground outs.

by phillies fan in bowie on Jul 22, 2010 9:59 PM EDT reply actions

I wish I could have listened to this game.

Instead I’m stuck at Atigun Pass on the Dalton Highway. It snowed today.

How awesome to come back to camp at the end of shift and find a victory. I’m especially pleased to see Hamels’ performance. Outstanding. I think we can definitely count ourselves among the few teams with two legitimate aces.

by Phrozen on Jul 22, 2010 10:17 PM EDT reply actions

With the victory, the Phillies averted a possible Chernobyl sweep, and kept it contained as a mere Three Mile Island.

The more Mr. Burns quotes, the better.

by WanderingMoses on Jul 22, 2010 10:30 PM EDT reply actions

I think w.c. was conceived in the back of a ford pinto fleeing the area during the tmi crisis. TMI will always have a special place in his heart.

Remember the Phitans

by RememberthePhitans on Jul 22, 2010 11:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I was about 18 months old. My family fled the area.

http://www.thegoodphight.com

by WholeCamels on Jul 22, 2010 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions

I figured you were in the neighborhood, geographically and temporally. I passed the plant the other day on the way to a hearing at the MDJ in Royalton and nearly stopped at the farm stand that’s right down the road from the plant on 441. Then, in a fit of irrationality, I didn’t.

The old “Radioactive Bar” is now closed and is some sort of ministry/churchy thing, which is much less satisfying. It is no longer green, either. They didn’t go for “Radioactive Church” which I think would have been a winner, myself.

FWIW, my house used to be in the zone where you could get free iodine pills, for all the good they would do.

Remember the Phitans

by RememberthePhitans on Jul 23, 2010 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions

Over? Did you say over?

This season isn’t over till we decide it is!

Seriously, this post-All Star offensive funk has probably doomed the season, but hell, I guess stranger things have happened (coughcough*2007*cough). Yet another really encouraging start from Hamels… you’d almost think the guy was a World Series MVP or something.

by PhillyFriar on Jul 22, 2010 10:50 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

I was leaving work right after the game, and during the spate of commercials, I was switching over to Howard Eskin and Ike Reese. I don’t know why. And Reese was grudgingly giving Hamels props. And I get that the trip was horrible, and the season likely done, but they were not acknowledging in the slightest how rare an 11-inning 1-hitter is, 2 batters over the minimum. So again I got to rehearse my upcoming persona as a crazy old man driving his car and yelling at the radio.

by Wet Luzinski on Jul 23, 2010 5:50 AM EDT up reply actions

I heard this, too, and was infuriated, because all they could focus on was how the Phillies couldn’t hit and my response was, “Well, it was Adam Wainwright, you dipshits.” Then the focus shifted to Lidge and they glossed over Hamels’ performance, citing, “Well, Hamels was never a concern for me; I always knew he’d come around.” Yeah, right. Lying bastards.

Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.

by doubleh on Jul 23, 2010 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Will & Powar just say NoNo SportzRadio

Lookie here: self-torture, self-torture friend should, uh, you know… come widda buzz.. Burp. sthat’s why me and le fucknutz here quit smoking. Yes way sammich. Holy slutballs, the cost and de headaches, for wat – a nada nadslap….huffers, even those dumb pukes – so dumb they to walk around lookin like they gave a can of Krylon a blow job -even they know’dhis truth.

by j reed on Jul 23, 2010 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I so agree with you. Hamels pitched very well yesterday and was a rare bright spot in the team’s performance on this road trip. His performance yesterday was brilliant, and the commentators really seemed to miss that. It really aggravates me that even when the team wins, the pitching is awesome, and the defense is great (Victorino making that amazing double play, Werth’s “catch”, and all of the other plays that kept balls in play from turning into hits- out of the 35 batters faced, just over a quarter were struck out- even adding in the walks, 2/3s of the plays were made by the defense, so my hat is off to them too), the only thing they see is the dark part— the fact that the team is not hitting as well as many would have hoped. I wound up turning them off pretty fast— they were ruining my good mood.

by dannijd on Jul 23, 2010 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions

SIERA scores

This is tangential, but a quick look at some SIERA scores (Thursday’s games likely not included):

Listed is the pitcher’s SIERA, plus their ranking among the 110 pitchers who have thrown 94 Innings in 2010:

Halladay, 3.01 (4)
Hamels, 3.59 (27)
Blanton, 4.35 (68)
Moyer, 4.42 (74)
Kendrick, 4.95 (100)

And for fun:

Haren, 3.16 (6)
Oswalt, 3.29 (9)

by Romero on Jul 22, 2010 11:09 PM EDT reply actions

It’s kind of ridiculous to imagine Halladay, Hamels, & Oswalt in the same rotation…

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by JasonB on Jul 22, 2010 11:26 PM EDT reply actions

Yes

Oswalt (or Haren) immediately turns a mediocre rotation into a very good one (for this year AND next year!!)

Can you imagine?:

Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels, Blanton, Happ.

by Romero on Jul 23, 2010 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions

Colecut Fastball and 96 mph Cheez Sammich

Cut me cole, cut me

by j reed on Jul 22, 2010 11:53 PM EDT reply actions

good night for our minor league starting pitchers, btw

Brandon Duckworth – 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 11 K (!)
Drew Naylor – 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Austin Hyatt – 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Trevor May – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
David Buchanan – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Those lines are almost eerily similar. Also:

Antonio Bastardo – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
Scott Mathieson – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Notable hitters: Dom Brown went 1 for 5, Harold Garcia homered, and Anthony Gose got on base three times.

by taco pal on Jul 23, 2010 12:14 AM EDT reply actions

Over his last five games, Duckworth has 36 strikeouts in 26.1 IP.

by taco pal on Jul 23, 2010 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions

Any chance Duckworth makes a start this weekend? Or is it likely Happ and Worley?

by phillies fan in bowie on Jul 23, 2010 12:32 AM EDT up reply actions

n/m Just read that it’s Happ and Kendrick (ugh).

by phillies fan in bowie on Jul 23, 2010 12:35 AM EDT up reply actions

It could be worse— Kendrick allowed four runs in six innings in his last appearance against the Rockies, but he is the sacrificial lamb facing Ubaldo Jimenez on Saturday… since it is doubtful that we would have won that game anyway (since his offense supports him and bails him out on his infrequent bad days) thus the 15-1 record despite a recent return to earth), I am not that disappointed to have him back in the rotation for this game (although losing an option on him to play musical bullpen has to win some sort of stupidity/ smugness award).

Kendrick and Exxon will always be with us.

by dannijd on Jul 23, 2010 2:39 AM EDT up reply actions

it does seem like every time Kendrick gets sent down, somebody elso on the Phillies pitching staff gets hurt. I think this is the “voodoo doll” clause in his contract.

by Wet Luzinski on Jul 23, 2010 5:52 AM EDT up reply actions

He really does have bad karma written all over him.

by taco pal on Jul 23, 2010 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions

No Nick Johnson has bad karma written all over him

by j reed on Jul 23, 2010 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Johnson only hurts himself though, not his teammates.

by taco pal on Jul 23, 2010 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Well when he was an everday player the guy got on base alot and plus you either had to spend money on a FA bat or live with a replacement call up alot. He always seem to hit the shit out of us when he was a National. So I’d say his lost affected the line-up. Not now as he will finish out his career as an excellent bench/role player. Although I think we’ve seen what a bad bench can do to a team. Actually he has suffered some freak contact injuries. The most notable was the game when collided head on with Austin Kearns and his femur snapped in half.

by j reed on Jul 23, 2010 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Mathieson is, once again, officially wasting bullets. And while Bastardo had trouble throwing strikes at the major league level, he pretty clearly has nothing left to prove in the minors.

Also, Hyatt should move to Reading — like, 2 months ago — and I like Buchanan. Buchanan’s first game with a good number of strikeouts, but he’s really been keeping the ball on the ground, and I like the predraft reports I read on him.

by PhillyFriar on Jul 23, 2010 7:56 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Do you think Worley will go back to Reading after this weekend or to LV? If the latter, then that leaves room for Hyatt, I would think. Not sure if anyone at Lakewood is ready to take Hyatt’s place though.

I would really like to see Duckworth get a chance if Kendrick struggles again. If he was good enough for us in the 2001 pennant race, why not 2010? (is what I say). Seriously, it would be a nice little story at least.

by taco pal on Jul 23, 2010 9:55 AM EDT up reply actions

I wonder if they have even asked Baez to consider a trip to the farm to work on his pitches. He can’t feel good about what he’s being doing and he doesn’t strike me as an Eaton type or a whiner. Shit it worked with Myers and he’s pretty full of himself to say the least. Then Matheison could come up.

by j reed on Jul 23, 2010 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions