Apr 11 2009
Hamels, Phillies get rocked by Rockies
After monitoring Cole Hamels all Spring, you just knew that he wasn’t the same pitcher who was almost un-hittable during the 2008 playoffs. From the delayed start to the elbow injury to the drop in velocity to the low amount of innings pitched, the writing was on the wall for a bad outing. In only 3 2/3 innings of work, Hamels got pounded for seven runs and 11 hits with one walk and only one strikeout. In addition, his fastball only averaged 86 m.p.h. That’s not exactly the type of performance that the Phillies can afford from the 2008 World Series and NLCS MVP if they want to try to defend their title.
The Phillies took an early lead in the top of the second inning when Jayson Werth scored on a sacrifice fly by Pedro “Peter Happy” Feliz, but the lead didn’t last long. Clint Barmes led off the bottom of the third with a double Jason Marquis helped himself with an RBI single that tied the game at 1-1. One batter later, Ryan Spilborghs stroked a double to center to put runners at the second and third. Todd Helton picked up an RBI on a ground out and it looked like Hamels would get out of the inning with only a 2-1 deficit. Garrett Atkins followed with a two-run bomb to deep left field. Then Brad Hawpe crushed a ground rule double to deep center field and Troy Tulowitzki tripled to left to give the Rockies a 5-1 lead.
The Phightins got one back in the top of the fourth inning when Feliz plated Werth for the second time with an RBI ground out to short, but the Rox answered with a pair in the bottom of the inning. Barmes led off the inning with a single, and Marquis and Dexter Fowler moved him along to third. Spilborghs pounded a double to center to score Barmes and Helton followed with a single to score Spilborghs and give Colorado a 7-2 lead. After Hamels gave up a single to Atkins, his day was done. Fortunately, J.A. Happ and Clay Condrey stopped the bleeding through the seventh inning, combining for one hit and two strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, Marquis was just as good and only allowed two runs on five hits over seven innings with two strikeouts and two walks.
The Rockies padded their lead in the eighth inning when Fowler and Spilborghs had back-to-back RBI singles and Helton followed with a sac fly off of Chad Durbin. Just like that, the Rockies hung another crooked number on the board and led 10-2. In the top of the ninth, Werth capped off his perfect 4-for-4 day with a solo home run to left, but it would not be enough as Colorado cruised to a 10-3 win.
The Phils cannot afford to get off to another slow start in April because their schedule in May is absolutely brutal. Philly has six games against the Washington Nationals and four games against the San Diego Padres out of their remaining 18 April games, so they should be able to pick up a bunch of wins. However, if they slip up, they could be buried by Memorial Day. With five games against the New York Mets, a pair against the St. Louis Cardinals, and three each against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and New York Yankees, the Phils could find themselves in a huge whole in the vastly improved NL East before J.C. Romero even comes back from his suspension. I know it’s still early, but the Phillies need to get it going really soon because the rest of the division isn’t going to wait up for them like they have in the past.
Go Phillies.
