BY SCOTT LAUBERDENVER -- Morning, all. Happy Easter Sunday.
Day game after a night game means a quick turnaround, so I'll be brief. Through the first four games, the Phillies batted .215 and scored only 16 runs. More worrisome, they batted .175 with two outs and were 0-for-12 with two outs and runners in scoring position.
All of that changed last night. The Phils pounded 10 two-out hits, including a three-run double by Ryan Howard, a two-run triple by Jayson Werth and a solo home run by Raul Ibanez in an 8-4 victory over the Rockies. Between them, the first five hitters (Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Howard, Werth) went 9-for-21 with six RBIs.
It was a performance that was both clutch and cathartic.
"That's kind of more of what we're accustomed to," Werth said. "Not that it's going to happen every night, but we haven't really swung the bats well. We're just a good hitting ball club. We get timely hits and knock in runs, and that's what makes us a potent lineup."
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Initially, Charlie Manuel was non-committal when asked if Cole Hamels would make his next scheduled start, Thursday in DC against the Nationals. But yesterday Manuel said Hamels will start that game, and really, it's a no-brainer. First, Hamels is NOT injured. Trust me, if he was, he'd be shouting it from atop the Rocky Mountains. That's just how Hamels is. After a checkered injury history in the minors, he tells Manuel and Rich Dubee when he feels even the slightest twinge. But after missing nearly a week of spring training, Hamels isn't quite ready for the regular season, and the only way for him to get up to speed is by pitching in major-league games. So, the Phillies have little choice but to stick with him, even if it means a few ugly April starts.
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Strange stat of the night: Six of the 12 hits allowed this season by Brett Myers have been home runs. "I just want to be able to make a mistake and get away with one," he said.
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Stranger stat of the night: Myers improved to 5-0 in his career at Coors Field. Only four pitchers have at least five wins without losing at Coors: Chuck McElroy (9-0), Lance Painter (6-0), David Cortes (5-0) and Myers.
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It's been a while, at least a few weeks, since I mentioned "Phillies Confidential," the book I wrote with Gary Matthews about the 2008 season. (It's on sale, by the way, at Citizens Bank Park, but you can always just buy it online by clicking here.) Anyway, while I was working on the book, there were a lot of things I learned about my esteemed co-author. But perhaps the most interesting was that he is close friends with President Obama. They met years ago, when their daughters were in the same dance class, and ever since, they have gotten together for dance recitals, cookouts and golf outings.
Because the Phillies are going to the White House on Tuesday, I figured I'd talk to Sarge about his friendship with the Obama family. You can read about that, plus other odds and ends from Week 1 of the season, in our Sunday MLB notes.
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More on the Phillies' catching situation, which, with Carlos Ruiz on the disabled list, has gotten a lot more interesting.
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Even before Colby Cohen scored the game-winning goal in overtime, my phone was buzzing with text messages. Boston University, my alma mater, won the 2009 NCAA championship last night in what Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy has dubbed the greatest college hockey game ever played. Congratulations to coach Jack Parker and all the players, and thanks for making me as proud as ever to have graduated from BU.
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