Hamels, Phillies beat Dodgers 3-0

Cole Hamels turned in another dominating performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching a five-hitter for his third career shutout, and the Philadelphia Phillies extended their winning streak to seven games with a 3-0 victory Thursday night.

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Phillies Post-World Series Future Bright

by Chris May

The Philadelphia Phillies future is brighter than ever. With one championship already under their belt, Cole Hamels wasn’t kidding when he said he expects to be able to have a parade year after year after year.

With the bulk of the current core of stars all signed through the 2011 season this team is a legitimate threat to make another run at a World Series for years to come.

But that’s not what makes the Phillies future so bright necessarily. Just as they did with the current team of homegrown talent that includes everyday players Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Ruiz as well as pitchers Cole Hamels, JA Happ and Ryan Madson, the team looks like they have a second wave of core players emerging in the minor leagues.

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Cole Hamels takes the blame

By Jim Salisbury

Early-season games played on chilly April nights count just as much as the high-stakes, high-intensity games the Phillies have played in the last few Septembers.

That's why Cole Hamels is so disappointed with the way he has begun the 2009 season.

"If it comes down to the end of the year and we lose the division by one game, I can easily raise my hand and say I [messed] up," Hamels said in an exclusive interview in the Phillies' clubhouse yesterday. "I didn't help the team in my first couple of games of the season."

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Philadelphia Phillies' Starting Rotation in Profile

by Matt Gilmartin

Below is a preview of the Philadelphia Phillies' starting rotation, formatted to talk about each individual pitcher in the order in which they are listed on the Phillies' official depth chart. Without further adieu...

Cole Hamels stays around the plate, which is good because he strikes out a lot of hitters but doesn’t give up many walks. And oftentimes, when the batter does make contact, he just hits a grounder or a pop-fly to an infielder.

But this tendency also means he surrenders too many home runs for an elite pitcher.

Last year, his durability improved as he threw 227.1 innings in 33 starts—as compared to 183.1 in 2007—and he also began to establish himself as a strikeout machine (he had 196 strikeouts, whereas his previous best had been 177 in ‘07). Also, Hamels only walked 10 more batters despite starting five times more than he did in 2007.

Hamels’ win-loss record last season, 14-10, wasn’t super. But credit that more to a lack of run support than to his ERA of 3.09.

The only other knock on Hamels the number of home runs he gives up; he's averaged 24 allowed over his three seasons in the majors. But when you’re around the plate as much as Hamels, you’re bound to give up a few more dingers.

Keep in mind that Hamels’ command seems to have improved. In his first two years in the bigs, the 25-year-old southpaw didn’t throw any shutouts. But in 2008, he nabbed a couple.

While it would be nice if Hamels didn’t give up as many longballs, he is still definitely an elite hurler, and clearly deserving of being Philadelphia’s top starter.

Brett Myers looks more like a No. 4 or No. 5 pitcher. Maybe a No. 3. But a No. 2?

Get real. Since going 12-7 with a 3.91 ERA and tallying 189 strikeouts in 2006, Myers has a win-loss record of 15-20 with a 4.44 ERA.

He also has given up 38 home runs in 258.2 innings, or one homer each seven innings. His accuracy has been an issue, too (92 walks to 246 strikeouts).

To be an effective No. 2 pitcher, Myers will need a lot of run support.

Age doesn’t seem to affect Jamie Moyer, who's 46 years young, much. Since 2005, he has had only one losing season.

In 2008, he recorded 16 wins to seven losses and a 3.71 ERA. In that season, he surrendered a respectable 20 home runs; not bad, but not good, either.

Moyer does allow a lot of hits—in 18 of his 23 MLB seasons, he's given up more base knocks than he’s pitched innings.

Accuracy is the part of his game that has declined with time. He hit 11 batters in 2008, a figure that tied his career high set back in 2004. He’s not much of a strikeout pitcher, and his modest career high of 158 was achieved back in ’98.

He sat down a mere 123 hitters in 2008. Plus, in the last couple of years he has averaged 64 walks per season.

But on the bright side, Jamie has had a good spring, allowing 11 hits in as many innings but keeping the runs to a minimum (three, one was a homer). Moyer’s strikeouts (seven) have outnumbered his walks (four).

Despite his fading accuracy, it appears Jamie Moyer could have a competent season as the Phillies’ No. 3 pitcher.

Joe Blanton has been inconsistent in his four MLB seasons as a starter, but he is still a young player who could improve his game. He’s been doing fairly well in Spring Training and is currently sporting a 3.72 ERA.

Blanton has pitched 9.2 innings, yet has avoided giving up a home run and has only surrendered one walk. He has struck out four; if he cuts down on the hits, he could be in for a strong season.

Joe's unpredictable, and we will likely not know just how he will do until he has pitched a solid number of innings in the regular season. But he’s gotten off to a promising start, so things are encouraging.

J.A. Happ made a nice ML outing in 2008. He went 1-0 with a 3.69 ERA and 26 strikeouts to 14 walks in eight games (four of which were starts). Additionally, he didn’t cough up too many big flies, with just three allowed to his name.

Happ has impressed so far this spring, with 10 hits in 11 innings. The biggest drawback is Happ’s tendency to give up the long ball (two of his three earned runs have been surrendered via homers). But he just about makes up for that with his 9:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Playing with the Phillies’ AAA affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, Happ registered a combined win-loss record of 12-13 with a 2.11 ERA in '07 and '08. He surrendered a total of 26 home runs in 253.1 innings during those two years. Plus, he struck out 268 batters in that time but walked a mere 110 guys.

Happ is a talented prospect with plenty of potential who should find himself in the majors soon after the start of the regular season, if not at the start.

Chan Ho Park spent 2008 playing a relief role with the Los Angeles Dodgers, compiling a 4-4 win-loss record with a 3.40 ERA and 79 strikeouts while giving up just 36 walks and 12 homers.

The downside to Park is the number of hits he gives up and his endurance. Since 2002, Park has given up more hits than he’s pitched innings. But 2008 was better than usual in that respect, as Park surrendered 97 hits in 95 frames.

Keep in mind that Park hasn’t pitched true starter innings since 2001, when he worked 234 innings, so fatigue could be a factor late in the season.

Kyle Kendrick is a developing prospect who already has a lot of major league experience—and success—for someone entering his third season of MLB. In two seasons in the majors, he's had a combined 21 wins and 13 losses, 4.68 ERA, and 138 IP.

But Kendrick needs to improve his command and accuracy. In 276 innings, Kendrick has allowed 323 hits, which is dismal, even for someone with his lack of tenure. In that same span, Kendrick has given up 82 walks and notched only 117 strikeouts.

Kendrick is a tremendous prospect who could become the Phillies’ No. 2 or No. 3 pitcher of the future, but he still has some work to do.

After finishing 2008 in AAA Lehigh Valley with a 2-2 record, 5.17 ERA, and 46 strikeouts compared to a mere 13 walks, Carlos Carrasco hasn’t been doing particularly well in Spring Training. Despite a friendly 2-1 record, Carrasco gives up a run about every 1.4 innings. He also allows more home runs than is preferred (two of the seven runs he’s surrendered were longballs).

But when he isn’t giving up hits, Carrasco generally strikes out hitters: He’s fanned 10 batters thus far in the warmup games, and he often had a lot of strikeouts in the minors.

Carrasco appears to be a decent prospect, but he’s a likely at least a year away from the majors.

The Philadelphia Phillies have a solid rotation, boasting of a nice mix of veterans and prospects, all of whom bring different things to the table. The group should do its part to help the Phillies get back to the World Series, as long as it gets a little help from the potent lineup.

Philadelphia Phillies team doctor to examine pitcher Cole Hamels' elbow

The Philadelphia Phillies say they are just being cautious with their ace pitcher.

Regardless, the news out of Clearwater, Fla., that Cole Hamels is flying back to Philadelphia today to have his left elbow examined by team doctor Michael Ciccotti on Tuesday, has raised concern among the faithful.

"We do not think it is serious, at least at this time," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told MLB.com. "We thought it was important for Dr. Ciccotti to check him out and see if there is anything more serious than what we think."

Hamels threw four innings in a minor league scrimmage Sunday at the Carpenter Complex. The Phillies say Hamels is still on target to Opening Day against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park.

Amaro said Hamels doesn't feel pain when he pitches, but that the elbow tightens up between innings.

The Phillies signed Hamels to a three-year, $20.5 million contract extension in January.

Phillies' Hamels to have elbow examined

Clearwater, FL - Philadelphia Phillies star left-hander Cole Hamels will reportedly leave spring training to have his sore pitching elbow examined.

According to several media sources, including the Philadelphia Daily News, Hamels will fly back to Philadelphia to be looked at by team doctor Michael Ciccotti after having steady soreness in the elbow.

However, team general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. indicated it is not presently a serious issue, and the team is taking a cautious approach.

The Phillies signed Hamels to a three-year, $20.5 million contract in January, after the 25-year-old turned in the best season of his career in 2008.

Hamels made 33 regular-season starts and posted a 14-10 record with a 3.09 earned run average. He also had two shutouts and 196 strikeouts to just 53 walks in 227 1/3 innings, while opposing batters had just a .227 average and .272 on-base percentage against Hamels.

Hamels was even better in the postseason, going 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts, and was named MVP of both the NLCS and World Series.

The 17th pick of the 2002 draft, Hamels has made 84 career starts over three seasons for the Phillies, going 38-23 with a 3.43 ERA.

Phillies' Cole Hamels Wants Bigger and Better Things

By Chris DiFrancesco

When a pitcher enters the Majors, he thinks of a few things. He looks at the main goal: A World Series Championship. After that, the normal pitching milestones creeps up in the brain waves: 200 innings, 20 wins, a no-hitter, a Cy Young, and finally, maybe, an MVP award.

Well, when you try to lock up the guys currently pitching in today's Major Leagues, I believe one guy pops into the minds of true baseball analysts: Cole Hamels.

Hamels, 25, already has the most important factor of becoming an all-time great hurler—the World Championship he won this past October.

Oh, he was the MVP of the Fall Classic, too—add that to the resume.

The Philadelphia Phillies realized what this guy meant to their organization and decided to skip arbitration years and sign their left-handed stud to a three-year $21.5 million deal.

As I sit here and write this article, Hamels is only big-game pitcher in the Majors right now that I would want over anybody. I'm not being biased, that's my honest opinion.

Hamels, himself, feels that no matter what situation it is, he can get through it.

"In order to get yourself to the next level, you have to be able to handle yourself in those situations, and I think I learned a lot from being in those situations and having success," Hamels said today after he threw two shutout innings in his first spring start.

"There's going to be a lot of big games throughout the year. Now knowing how to handle it a little better, I think I can be better prepared and have better success. Or even if I don't have success, I can get over it faster and move onto the next start."

When I hear and read through these quotes from Hamels, I know that this guy is stone cold out on that mound no matter what situation arises.

He will go out there and throw a 16-strikeout game, but when it comes to the top of the ninth inning and the Phils are up by a run with a runner on the corners and one out, I can trust that Hamels will throw that dynamite changeup low and away to force a game ending double play.

Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said how much of a perfectionist Hamels is when he focuses on his game and how to get better. Dubee goes on and says that he wants to throw a no-hitter every time he's out on the mound.

As we embark on the 2009 baseball season, the season where the Philadelphia Phillies have a legitimate shot to be the first team to repeat since the 2000 Yankees.

Furthermore, when you're the Phillies and you know that every fifth day the guy whose back of the jersey says "HAMELS," number 35, is on the mound, you can sit back with a nice drink and a ballpark dog and enjoy what your watching.

In the end, he could very well be the best you ever will see.

"I think if you're able to pitch 200 innings and hit every start, have a ton of quality starts and keep a low ERA, you're going to be in the running (for a Cy Young). That's all you can really ask for. The pitcher's ultimate goal is to show that they're Cy Young quality."