June 1 -- LUMP OF COLE

So, after struggling through a second straight uncharacteristically rough start, what will Cole Hamels do for the next four days?

"No disrespect to [Marlins veteran pitcher Mark] Hendrickson, but I'll take Jamie Moyer every day over anybody to get some help from," Hamels said. "Even having Adam [Eaton] and [Brad] Lidge and [Rudy] Seanez and Flash [Gordon], they've been in the league for a long time. They've struggled. They've had their ups and downs. To be around those guys for the next four days, when we're out in the outfield shagging, that's what we normally do. We talk baseball. I'm still figuring it out, digesting it. Hopefully, I'll be able to sleep on it."

Hamels was rocked last night for three home runs. The root of his problems: He was unable to locate his fastball, something that hurt him last Sunday in Houston, too.

This is a good news/bad news situation for Hamels. The good news: He hasn't struggled like this since June 2006 when, as a rookie, he went 0-4 with a 7.84 ERA over four starts against the Nationals, Devil Rays, Yankees and Orioles. So, this doesn't happen often for the Phillies' ace. The bad news: He's 7-5 with a 5.25 ERA in 20 career starts during the day, 22-12 with a 3.12 ERA in 43 career starts at night. His next start is Thursday afternoon against the Reds.

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Big day for Mike Lieberthal. The former Phillies catcher will sign a one-day, minor-league contract. Then, he'll officially retire. It's a nice touch for a player who devoted so much time and energy to the Phillies. Lieberthal, the Phils' first-round pick (third overall) in 1990, played 13 of his 14 major-league season with the club, many through severe pain in his knees. I covered Lieby for only one season (2006), and while I often doubted how much he was appreciated by the fans, I never questioned how much respect he had from teammates.

"Catching every day is difficult physically, so for him to be playing every day, it's tough to overlook that," said Pat Burrell, the longest-tenured Phillie. "We couldn't get him out of the game. I think he was very appreciated here for what he did. [Today] will be a nice day."

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Spent some time yesterday with Jamie Moyer, who reminisced about his days in Seattle as a teammate of Ken Griffey Jr. While we were talking, Griffey hit his 599th career home run against Braves starter Jair Jurrjens. Who will give up No. 600? With the Reds heading to homer-happy Citizens Bank Park tomorrow to open a four-game series, there's a good chance it will be a Phillies pitcher. And, over the years, Griffey has hit most of the Phillies pitchers very well. Here's a look at how he's done against them in his storied career, starting with tomorrow night's starter:

Adam Eaton: 3-for-7, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB
Kyle Kendrick: 4-for-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI
Brett Myers: 5-for-12, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K
Cole Hamels: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K
Brad Lidge: 1-for-6, 2B, RBI, 3 BB, K
Tom Gordon: 14-for-48, 2B, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 7 BB, 9 K
J.C. Romero: 1-for-2
Chad Durbin: Never faced
Ryan Madson: 2-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, BB
Rudy Seanez: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Clay Condrey: 0-for-1, BB
Jamie Moyer: 8-for-25, 3 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K

More from Lieby in a bit. Enjoy your Sunday.