April 10 -- ALL ABOUT COLE

BY SCOTT LAUBER

DENVER -- Cole Hamels stood in front of his locker last Sunday, before the Phillies raised the curtain on 2009 and the 2008 World Series banner, and expressed no disappointment that he was unable to start the season-opener.

"I'd rather have my health," he said.

Well, Cole, since you brought it up ...

For the past month, Hamels has had the most scrutinized left elbow in the Delaware Valley -- and for good reason. To recap: For about three weeks in spring training, he felt persistent, lingering between-innings stiffness during his starts. So, he returned to Philly and underwent an MRI exam that didn’t reveal structural damage. He received an anti-inflammatory injection March 17 and has been insisting ever since that the discomfort is gone.

Surely, though, team officials still will be holding their breath as Hamels takes the mound here tonight for the opener of a three-game series against the Rockies. Even Charlie Manuel said he's anxious to see how Hamels responds to the thin mountain air and forecasted temperature in the upper-40s. (Take it from me, it's chilly here. I walked to dinner last night on the 16th Street Mall and had to bundle up.)

But after overseeing Hamels' bullpen session Wednesday at the Bank, pitching coach Rich Dubee believes his ace will be just fine.

"Physically, I think he's fine," Dubee said. "We ran the MRI and all the tests, and we felt very good about the doctor's evaluation. Cole is feeling much better than he felt a month ago. He's definitely headed in the right direction."

His last spring-training start left some questions, though. Facing the Rays last Saturday, he yielded six runs in six innings, threw 83 pitches and still didn't crack 90 mph on the radar gun. His fastball maxed out in the high-80s but mostly sat in the mid-80s.

"You don't really see velocity until May," Dubee said. "That's true with most guys. Cole hasn't been a good spring-training guy. He wouldn't make our team out of spring. He's a guy that likes a third deck and big lights. He proved that during his first couple of years and the playoff run that he had [last year]."

But Hamels' health always has been closely monitored. Last season marked the first since 2003 that he didn't make a trip to the disabled list. Including the playoffs, he threw 262-1/3 innings, by far his career-high.

Will Carroll, who tracks and studies injuries for Baseball Prospectus, is among the analysts who have suggested that the dramatically increased workload (his previous career-high was 190 innings in 2007) will leave Hamels at greater risk for an arm injury.

"Over and over, our research has shown that a 30-inning bump is not to be trifled with," Carroll told me a few weeks ago. "Is anybody immune to it? Some pitchers have avoided it. Is he the kind of guy that can handle it? Maybe, but you really don't know until you see how he reacts."

That's why today's start has so much intrigue.

"The public had concern [about Hamels] last year," Dubee said. "The public had concern two years ago. That's the job of the public, to be concerned."

***
PHILLIES (1-2) at ROCKIES (2-1)
Today, 4:10 p.m.: LHP Cole Hamels (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Jason Marquis (0-0, 0.00)
Tomorrow, 8:10 p.m.: RHP Brett Myers (0-1, 6.00) vs. LHP Jorge De La Rosa (0-0, 0.00)
Sunday, 3:10 p.m.: RHP Chan Ho Park (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Aaron Cook (0-0, 7.71)
About the Rockies: In the post-Matt Holliday era, the Rockies' most recognizable star may be SS Troy Tulowitzki, who followed his superb 2007 rookie season with an injury-plagued 2008. He already has two homers in the first three games. But the key to Colorado's season will be the continued maturation of young starters Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales, neither of whom will face the Phillies here this weekend.
Hot: Phillies 2B Chase Utley is 4-for-11 (.364) and making everyone say, "Hip surgery? What hip surgery?"; Rockies INF prospect Ian Stewart is 4-for-6 with four RBIs.
Not: Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins is 1-for-14; Rockies 3B Garret Atkins, Utley's college teammate at UCLA and the best man in his wedding, is 0-for-11.