BY SCOTT LAUBERDENVER -- Good morning, all.
Quick post this morning to put a bow on yesterday's 10-3 loss to the Rockies. Obviously, the game story in today's News Journal focused almost exclusively on Cole Hamels, who endured arguably the worst start of his career. (We ran down his other poor starts in a post yesterday.) Now, I'm way out here in Denver, but I can hear the panic back home, where I'm sure everyone is concerned about Hamels' health.
Three things I need to make clear:
1. I believe Hamels is healthy. Why? Well, I've known him for the past four years, and I can safely say that he's about as tuned in to his own body as anyone I've ever covered. If Hamels feels so much as a twinge, he alerts Rich Dubee and Charlie Manuel. He has dealt with injuries throughout his career, and he understands, better than most players, how much damage can be done if he tries to pitch through pain. So, if there was anything going on with Hamels' arm, I believe he would've removed himself from the game.
2. The issue yesterday wasn't Hamels' velocity, which is always in the mid-80s in April. It was his command, specifically of his changeup. Now, command is always important for Hamels, but until his velocity stabilizes in May and June, it's absolutely critical. And the Phillies didn't do him any favors by starting him here yesterday. He barely threw his curveball (only six of his 81 pitches were curves) because the altitude here caused it to come in straight, without much break. So, Hamels was out there yesterday with a flat fastball and a subpar changeup. Pretty tough to be effective against major-league hitters with that combination.
3. Even though Manuel left open the possibility that he could be pushed back, I believe Hamels will start Thursday in Washington, as scheduled. Here's the problem: Everyone agrees that Hamels is behind after missing nearly a week in mid-March to get an anti-inflammatory injection in his cranky elbow. He threw fewer pitches in fewer Grapefruit League games than any Phillies starter, and just the other day, Dubee said Hamels is still in "spring-training mode." But while he may not be ready to pitch in major-league games, the only real way for him to build his velocity and fine-tune his command is by pitching in major-league games. So, I think the Phils will continue to run him out there every fifth game and cross their fingers that Hamels will soon resemble Hamels again.
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Almost time to head over to Coors Field. I expect that we'll get an update on Carlos Ruiz, and when I get it, I'll pass it along, both here at Philled In and on Twitter.
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Finally, it's a big night for the Boston University hockey team, which plays for the NCAA championship in DC.
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