Phillies Offense Wastes Hamels’ Gem, Lose to Padres
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Phillies lefthander Cole Hamels had a no-hitter going for 6 1/3 innings on Monday but the offense once again scarcely showed a pulse. When San Diego’s 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez and centerfielder Scott Hairston nailed back-to-back homers to wreck Hamels no-hit bid, they were all the margin that the Padres needed as lefthander Wade LeBlanc blanked the Phils on 4 hits for seven innings. Gonzalez’s 2nd homer of the game, coming off of reliever Danys Baez in the ninth, provided the Padres with an insurance run. The Padres bullpen preserved the lead despite a dicey ninth inning where 1st baseman Ryan Howard’s 2 out double off of closer Heath Bell broke up a Padres shutout and put the tying run at the plate. But Bell struck out rightfielder Jayson Werth to end it as the Phillies offense wasted Hamels’ gem in a 3-1 loss to the Padres and a split of the 4 game series.
Despite the loss, the Phils lost no ground to Atlanta who lost its game to Arizona. The Phils remained 2 games behind the NL East division leading Braves. The Mets, who didn’t play on Monday, moved to 1/2 game behind the Phils in 3rd place and to 2 1/2 games behind the Braves. Florida and Washington are 5 and 6 games back respectively.
Hamels has had tough breaks in losing his last 3 outings. 2 of his loses came due to the recent offensive slumber after going deep into both games and keeping the Phils within striking distance. In his previous start, he gave up 3 first inning runs and then was shut down after a lengthy rain delay. His last win was a seven inning masterpiece 5-1 win on May 21 over Boston.
Hamels gave up the 2 homers, 3 hits in all while walking 2 and striking out 6. He retired 10 of the first 11 hitters he faced, issuing single walks in the third and fourth innings. After issuing a 1 out walk to Gonzalez, Hamels got Hairston to ground into an inning-ending doubleplay. He then went clean on the Padres in the fifth and sixth innings.
Meanwhile, LeBlanc worked out of a 1 out bases loaded threat in the first inning getting Jayson Werth, who has come up awfully small lately, to ground into an inning ending doubleplay. Aside from the ninth inning, the first inning marked the only Phillies threat against LeBlanc or the bullpen.
AP sports writer Rob Maaddi’s recap of the game includes these notes:
“My job is to throw quality pitches, go as deep as I can and give us an opportunity,” Hamels said. “Eventually, it’ll pay off.”
LeBlanc (3-4) allowed four hits and walked one. The lefty retired the last 14 batters he faced and snapped a four-game losing streak. Luke Gregerson threw a perfect eighth and Heath Bell finished for his 16th save in 19 chances.
Gonzalez lined an opposite-field shot into the flower bed just over the left-field wall to snap a scoreless tie. Scott Hairston connected three pitches later for a 2-0 lead.
Gonzalez drove one into nearly the same spot off Danys Baez in the ninth.
“He was Hamels, just made a couple mistakes and we hit the balls out,” Gonzalez said. “He only made two bad pitches.”
Ryan Howard hit an RBI double with two outs in the ninth, but Bell struck out Jayson Werth to end it. Bell fanned Werth with runners on first and third to preserve San Diego’s 6-5 win in 10 innings on Sunday.
The two-time NL champion Phillies are 4-11 since Hamels beat Boston on May 21. Despite a star-studded lineup that’s missing Jimmy Rollins, they have scored only 29 runs and been shut out five times in those 15 games.
“I don’t know what to say,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “I want us to come out, have fun, hit some balls and score. We’re having a tough time. I’ve never seen a team go games like this and not score runs.”
To view the scores of all of Monday’s MLB games, click here.
Next into Citizen’s Bank Park are the Florida Marlins for 3 games to complete the Phillies 7 game homestand. In Tuesday’s game 1, Kyle Kendrick is opposed by Chris Volstad for the Marlins.
To view all of Tuesday’s games, click here.
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