May 20 -- WELCOME BACK, J-ROLL, COLE

BY SCOTT LAUBER

CINCINNATI -- Sure, the Phillies won another game here last night, running their best-in-the-majors road record to 13-4 and matching their season-high with a five-game winning streak. But, in the bigger picture, last night's game was significant for two reasons.

Jimmy Rollins.

Cole Hamels.

Rollins, a rally killer for most of the season's first six weeks, sparked the decisive rally in the fifth inning against good-looking Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto. To recap: With the game tied 1-1, Pedro Feliz ripped a leadoff double, and after Hamels laced a one-out single, Rollins stepped to the plate and got two quick strikes. But he worked the count full before driving a cutter into the gap in right-center for an RBI double. Chase Utley's single up the middle scored Hamels and sent Rollins to third, and when Raul Ibanez's sinking liner was caught by left fielder Darnell McDonald, Rollins tagged up and slid head-first across the plate to give the Phillies a 4-1 lead in their eventual 4-3 win.

As I wrote in today's News Journal, it was vintage Rollins. It's also no surprise that the Phillies' five-game winning streak has coincided with an 8-for-22 (.364) streak for Rollins, who has a a .440 on-base percentage during the past five games.

"Jimmy's the kind of guy, he loves to play baseball," Charlie Manuel said later. "He likes to smile. He's got a little, I call it 'slick,' on him, but his is in a real good way. His personality kind of corresponds to it. When he's going, he creates a lot of energy in the game. The more he hits, the more he gets on, that really gets us fired up."

Then, there was Hamels, who breezed through five innings, then got in trouble in the sixth. But he still turned a 4-3 lead over to the bullpen, which got three scoreless innings from Clay Condrey, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge. Most telling, though, was that Hamels threw 117 pitches, more than in any game (regular season or postseason) since July 3. To me, he looked like the ace with whom the Phillies are so familiar and the ace they need him to be.

So, now, it's up to Jamie Moyer to continue the streak tonight. I'll have more on Moyer later today, so please check back. Also, please join me at noon (about an hour from now) for our latest weekly Phillies live chat at www.delawareonline.com. Talk to you then.