Hamels Handles Braves, Phillies Win 3-0
By: Mike Reisman
When you look at the Phillies rotation this year, you see three awful starts, and five great starts, almost like two different rotations are on the team. Cole Hamels, who was one of the pitchers who got rocked, took the mound again today, looking to redeem his first start against the Mets. He would have the difficult job of out-dueling Braves ace Derek Lowe who had a 0.77 ERA coming into today's matinée.
The beginning of today's game was, as expected, a pitcher's showdown, as both team's combined for a single hit in the first three innings, including five strike outs. The Phillies finally opened the scoring up in the 4th, as Jimmy Rollins got his first RBI on a double play that scored Shane Victorino from third. Victorino scored again in the 6th on a solo home run that barely stayed fair in right field.
On the other side of the ball, Cole Hamels was spectacular, not allowing a single run, and only allowing three runners to reach scoring position in seven great innings. Cole was also able to strike out eight batters, while only walking one and allowing four hits.
The Phillies would add a final run on a Ryan Howard ground-out, scoring Jimmy Rollins, and making the final score 3-0. Cole Hamels got his first win, while Derek Lowe got his second loss, and Jose Contreras got his second save.
Another great game from the Phillies today, as most of the team just looked good. Let's start with the line-up MVP in Shane Victorino. Today's game was just what Victorino needed to show that he deserves to lead-off the line-up. His average was only .261 coming into this series, but he got nine hits this series, bringing his average to a great .417. Victorino really instilled confidence today, and now it seems as though every player has really started to play well.
Now onto Cole Hamels. This start was exactly what he needed to bounce back from his bad start, and to silence those who thought he was incompetent. His eight strikeouts against a very good Atlanta line-up show he can play with the best, even if the Phillies still refuse to give him run support. With Hamels as the fourth starter and pitching like this, the Phillies rotation might actually be able to pitch to the ridiculous expectations set for them in the pre-season.
The Phillies return to the field on Tuesday when they travel to Washington for a three game series with the Nats. Joe Blanton will start the first game against the 0-1 Livan Hernandez.