July 4 -- CLONING COLE

ATLANTA -- Morning, all. Happy 4th!

Just sitting here at Gate 11-A in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, waiting to board my AirTran flight to Philly and looking over my notes from last night's game. When it was over, and the Phillies had completed their second three-game sweep in less than a month at Turner Field, Charlie Manuel broke some big news that should leave GM Pat Gillick and his inner circle quite relieved. He has found a way to bolster the Phillies' starting rotation without making a trade.

Clone Cole Hamels.

The Ace came within one out of throwing his third complete-game shutout of the season. A two-out RBI double by Brian McCann ruined that, but there was no spoiling Hamels' latest gem against the Braves. He threw a career-high 125 pitches, allowed only five hits, and at one point, he retired 11 straight batters and 20 of 21.

"Cole was pretty good," Manuel said after the Phillies wrapped their nine-game, three-city road trip with a 5-4 record. "It would be helpful if I had a few more like him."

If Hamels -- or a reasonable facsimile, at least -- could pitch every night, who would need C.C. Sabathia?

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There's good news within the notebook: Talked to farm director Steve Noworyta yesterday and found out that Carlos Carrasco has only "mild soreness" in his right shoulder. Carrasco, the Phillies' top prospect and prime trade bait, was scratched from his start Wednesday night for Class AA Reading, but after seeing team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti yesterday, it was determined that Carrasco probably won't have to go on the disabled list.

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Back in a bit with a preview of the Mets series, including some hard-to-believe stats about Johan Santana, the two-time Cy Young Award winner with whom the Phils will have to deal tonight.