Philadelphia Phillies ace (one of them) Cole Hamels is coming off of his best season as a professional. He had a 2.79 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP to go with a 14-9 record. We don’t really care about W/L record for pitchers so you can throw that out. His other numbers are close to filthy.

But, apparently he did some of his pitching with a lot of discomfort and we’re not exactly sure how he did it. According to Todd Zolecki, Hamels underwent hernia and elbow surgeries on Friday.

Photo Caption: “Ha haaaa….strike two. One more and it’s butterscotch snack pack time in the dugout. If Vance touches my baseball cards I’m gonna flip the heck out.”

“Hamels had 2 surgeries today (hernia & left elbow). Had loose bodies removed from elbow and should be begin throwing in 3-to-4 weeks,” Zolecki tweets.

We don’t know the extent of the hernia, but it was obviously bad enough that they had to cut him open. Not sure how someone pitches with soreness in that area, but we give Cole a ton of credit.

This post is very funny if you go back and read it in the thin, high-pitched Cole voice.

“Hey Roy, I just had surgery on my…Roy. Roy. Cliff, I just had…Cliff.”

With the Philadelphia Phillies tied with the St. Louis Cardinals at 2-2 and facing Game 5 tonight, you’d think there needs to be some sort of explanation. Sure, the Cardinals have a nice team, but nothing compared to this Phillies team that is stacked to bejesus and back with pitching.

The easy scapegoat has been Ryan Howard, the team’s $100+ million man who has been awful since Game 1. In Game 1, he popped a three-run homer for the ages and drove two more in later. It looked like he would put the team on his back and carry them to the NLCS. That, ummm, hasn’t happened. He’s been terrible since then. So this has to be his fault, right?

Well, he should shoulder some blame, but no one wants to blame this pitching staff? This “best staff ever” group of pitchers that haven’t done their jobs?

In Game 1, Roy Halladay gave up a three-run homer in the first inning to get the team down 3-0. Sure, after that he settled into being Roy and carved up the St. Louis offense. The Phils were able to dig out of it and rout the Cardinals for what turned out to be an easy Game 1 win.

The second game? The team gave Cliff Lee – the mighty can-do-no-wrong Cliff Lee – a four-run lead. FOUR runs. That should be game-set-match, correct? It wasn’t. Cliff blew the lead and the Phils lost.

The only guy that did his job so far was Cole Hamels. He didn’t have his best stuff in Game 3, but still pitched six shutout innings and the Phillies hung on for the win. Roy Oswalt in Game 4? Pitched extremely well except for really one inning, when he got knocked around. Bad. He gave up five runs in five innings. They could get Randy Wolf to do that. That’s not was dream team pitchers are supposed to do.

The problem is that all these scenarios were played out before the season even started. “Boy, just give Cliff Lee a lead and than it’s lights out.” But no, that hasn’t happened and no one wants to call them out. It’s easier to blame Howard.

Make no mistake about it, if the Cardinals take down Game 5 and go on to the NLCS, this starting pitching staff is to blame. This is not what the team was expecting out of them.

If Phillies fans weren’t already jacked up at the thought of losing Jimmy Rollins for two weeks, then they’ll be thrilled now! One of their staff aces, Cole Hamels, has now been placed on the disabled list as well with shoulder inflammation.

Yay!

The injury is not thought to be overly serious. But, the Phillies have the best record in baseball and a fairly comfortable lead in the NL East. So they have the luxury of resting Hamels and making sure he’s right for the postseason.

Hamels has a 2.62 ERA this year and has been mowing people down. He’s set to return next Monday August 29th.

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels has been dominant all season with the exception of a few starts. He’s 13-7 with a 2.62 ERA and has been mowing people down all year.

But last Friday against the Washington Nationals, his velocity was down and he got roughed up a bit. He said afterwards he wasn’t having any arm pain, but did feel like he had a bit of dead arm. Might not have been exactly the case, as Matt Gelb of the Inquirer says that an MRI revealed some inflammation.

“Hamels MRI showed inflammation in the shoulder. He will likely be skipped once in the rotation,” Gelb tweets.

It isn’t the end of the world and it looks like they aren’t going to shelve him on the DL (for now). But the skipped start could be good for him to get a bit of rest after throwing a ton of innings this season.

On Friday night, Philadelphia Phillies lefty Cole Hamels got roughed up a bit. He allowed three runs on six hits and four walks over five innings to the Washington Nationals. For him, that’s getting roughed up.

But, according to Todd Zolecki, Hamels thinks he is dealing with a bit of a dead arm.

“Hamels basically said it’s a dead arm-type thing. No pain. Not concerned. Just waiting for it to bounce back,” Zolecki tweets.

There couldn’t be a better reason to shut him down for a start or two. The Phils have a 7.5-game lead on the Atlanta Braves and will absolutely need their pitching in the post season. If he’s got a dead arm, just let him sit for a bit.

So far this season, the Philadelphia Phillies have been as good as advertised. They are 21-9 and have a two-game lead in the division. The Phour Aces – Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels – have been brilliant. Hell, even Joe Blanton has been very good after a rough first couple of outings.

But Blanton is now on the DL and it looks like he may have some company. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com says that Oswalt will not pitch on Saturday and that Kyle Kendrick will take his place. He also says that a trip to the disabled list could be on the horizon.

“Kendrick will start Saturday. Oswalt could land on the DL. Back bothering him a bit,” Zolecki tweets.

Oswalt just returned to the team after heading down south to help his family through all the storm and tornado damage. I wonder if his back was bothering him enough then that they knew he couldn’t pitch anyway. He did tweak it right before he went down there.

Vane Worley has been spectacular in two spot starts for Blanton, but Kendrick tends to be not very good.

Hit Me! The Philadelphia Phillies have pitching out the wazzou and everyone knows it. However, this is not a flawless team. They have problems. 99 problems? Jay-Z might think so, but probably not that many. Then again….it’s early.

In 2008, it was the young Cole Hamels that fooled batter after batter, team after team as the Phils lost just three games in their entire playoff run. Fastball or changeup? What do you prefer? Doesn’t matter and good luck guessing. Hamels was the playoff MVP and the World Series MVP as he led the Phillies to their first World Series title since 1980.

In 2010, the Phillies traded for uber-stud Roy Halladay. Last year, he was only able to produce a perfect game, 21 wins, a postseason no-hitter and a Cy Young award. He’ll need to step it up.

During the 2010 season, the Phightins maybe an in-season move for Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt, who was brilliant last year. He’s back this year, and will probably be great again unless that little comebacker to the head has long-term effects (it won’t).

And what about their latest pitching acquisition? That’s right, in case you hadn’t heard, Cliff Lee is back. Nothing short of brilliant for the Phils at the end of 2009, he helped the Texas Rangers get to the World Series in 2010 and stands to do the same for the Phillies in 2011. Yeah, he’s Cliff Lee.

And what about Joe Blanton? Did we forget about Joe Blanton? Yes? We forgot about Joe Blanton, who is probably the best fifth starter in all of baseball.

But, this team has some question marks. Chase Utley is scheduled to start the season on the DL. Jason Werth is gone. There is a lack of righthanded bats in the lineup. Ryan Howard doesn’t have any protection. Who will lead off? Who is hitting No. 5? Who is playing right field? Is Dom Brown going to develop?

The Phillies have some problems. They might even have 99. But none of those problems is a pitch. And to commemorate this pitching staff and this 2011 season, OTR has created t-shirts. That’s right, 99 Problems but a Pitch Ain’t One t-shirts.

You can get yours in a variety of colors, right HERE.

According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Philadelphia Phillies have re-acquired the services of Cliff Lee. This is absolutely unreal.

“Cliff Lee is going to the Philadelphia Phillies, industry sources said Monday night. The Rangers were told Monday night that Lee is going to the Phillies, It is a done deal,” Sullivan tweets.

The Texas Rangers and New York Yankees were believed to be battling it out, but the Phils jumped in late and emerged as a legitimate suitor. Some reports have him signing a five-year deal at around $20 million per year, which is the bargain of the century for the Phillies. The Yankees were offering a seven-year deal at around $150 million (depending on which report you believe).

Cliff Lee left money on the table to sign with the Phillies. Wow. That’s amazing.

Right now, the Phillies starting rotation is (in any order): Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.

Hamels is probably the No. 4. I’ll repeat: Cole Hamels is probably the No. 4! He is a World Series champion who won the playoff MVP and World Series MVP back in 2008.

Have fun with that NL East. Phillies fans….this is a dream come true.

Due to the Minnesota Twins failing to win any games against the New York Yankees, Philadelphia sports fans throughout this beautiful nation will have to decide which of their teams will be televised in their household.  Will it be Game 3 of the NLDS (8:07pm EST), featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and Cole Hamels vs the Cincinnati Reds?  Or will it be Sunday Night Football (8:20pm EST) presenting the Philadelphia Eagles and Kevin Kolb vs the San Francisco 49ers?

There’s an easy solution to this problem.  Run a cable cord from your living room to your family room and set up two televisions and swapping the sound from game to game pending on who is on offense.  But for the sake of arguing about which game should be the featured game, let’s break it down using simple calculus and physics.

Importance of the game

The playoff game is the most important.  Not so fast, Speedy Claxton.  The Phillies have a comfortable 2-0 series lead with Roy Halladay going in Game 4.  Stranger things have happened, but I’ll put my weekly allowance on the Phillies being able to win one of the next two games.  As for the Eagles, this is a must-win game.  If you haven’t been watching, the NFC this year is wide open.  Nobody is killing it.  Minnesota, Green Bay, and Dallas don’t necessarily look like Super Bowl teams right now.  I’m not saying the Eagles do either, but with a healthy Mike Vick, who knows?  3-2 looks a whole lot better than 2-3.  The Eagles need this game more than the Phillies.  Edge:  Philadelphia Eagles

Commentators and Channel

TBS is awful.  Why can’t they just hire Gus Johnson and let him get unbelievably excited every time Cole Hamels throws a strike.  “Sttteeeeeee-RIKE one!  WOW!  Right down the pipe.  Coooole HAMELS.  WOW.”  Nope, we get a couple monotone announcers who seem to be folding their laundry as they let the Fast Track feature call the game for them.  As for NBC’s Sunday Night Football…well…Chris Collinsworth.  Need I say more?  Edge:  Philadelphia Eagles

Viewing pleasure

Kevin Kolb vs the 0-4 49ers?  Yuck.  If you’re going to watch the Eagles game, you’re going to have to sit throw an ugly, boring game.  Check down to Owen Schmitt for 2 yards.  Sack.  Overthrown pass to a wide open Desean Jackson.  Punt.  At least the Phillies game will have that post-season excitement, even if it is a low-scoring game.  I’d rather watch a 3-0 Phillies game than a 3-0 Eagles game.  Edge:  Philadelphia Phillies

Which team deserves the attention more

All the Philadelphia Eagles seem to do is piss off their fans.  Horrible clock management, Jason Peters, inconsistent play, Jason Peters, arrogance, penalties, Kolb-Vick…Vick-Kolb, Andy Reid’s play-calling, Andy Reid’s game-planning and let’s not forget Jason Peters.  Year after year, the Phillies get it done.  They battle through injuries, they win when they need to, and they have a roster full of first-class guys, including a manager who everyone respects.  This is a no-brainer.  Edge:  Philadelphia Phillies

Intangibles

I’m not sure if the Philadelphia Eagles have any intangibles, so by default…Edge:  Philadelphia Phillies

In all reality, the Eagles aren’t going anywhere this year and the maturation process of Kevin Kolb has reached it’s peak, so why waste your time watching a game that most likely doesn’t mean anything when the Philadelphia Phillies are making a magical run to their third straight World Series appearance.  Winner:  Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are in a rare position. Most MLB teams would love to have either Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt or Cole Hamels as their ace. The Phillies, however, have all three.

They have three aces and Hamels, the former NLCS and World Series MVP from 2008, is their friggin’ No. 3. Their No. 3! Who wouldn’t want that?

Hamels was asked if this pitching staff, with this lineup, would be considered a failure if they don’t win a second World Series title in three years.

“Yeah, you have to,” he said, per Philly.com. “To be in the category of being the greatest, the best, you have to prove it. You can’t have the team that woulda, shoulda, coulda. A lot of people can talk about how great a team was, but if you don’t have anything to show for it, then it’s really hard to convince people.”

Hamels finished with a career-low 3.06 ERA and a career-high 211 strikeouts. That’s not too shabby for a third frickin’ starter!

“It puts our team in the best scenario. To have guys that can each start a Game 1, that just instills confidence in each other and, hopefully, in our offense,” he said. “Knowing that any one of us can get the job done and do a very good job. But we have to get the job done.”

Hamels has been very good at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. He is 3-0 there with a 1.67 ERA, keeping Reds batters to a .172 avg.

Last year, he was criticized for not being mentally ready. He made comments about being ready for this all to be over after he squandered a lead in Game 3 of the World Series last year. They didn’t go over well.

“I feel a lot stronger and a lot healthier. Mentally, I feel more prepared. Even from ’08,” he said. “Then it was just going on excitement of being in the postseason for the second time and trying to make it last more than three games. I felt good then, but I feel like I have a better workout plan now, so I should be a lot stronger. And with the last couple seasons of being in the postseason, I feel like I can mentally handle it.”

He should. Of the three super studs starting for the Phillies, he has the most impressive post-season resume. And he’s their No. 3 starter. Can Phillies fans ever remember when that was the case?

A source tell Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins has a Grade 2 calf strain and could miss some time. Usually an injury like this will require a stint on the Mark Prior List, but we’ll see what happens.

Rollins was running wind sprints before Monday’s game and must have tweaked something, because he was suddenly yanked from the lineup before the game against the Nationals even started. It happened so abruptly that backup shortstop Juan Castro had to quickly find his spikes and get ready to play. Based on the way Cole Hamels pitched, he probably was just hoping they canceled the game because of it. We kid, we kid. Sort of.

“I didn’t know what happened,” one Phillie said after the game. “I just saw Jimmy limp by me.”

Teammate Greg Dobbs has had a calf injury before and knows it isn’t fun.

“I don’t know the severity of Jimmy’s,” Dobbs said. “But with me, it nagged and nagged all season and I wasn’t even an every-day guy. You have to tackle it right from the get-go. I should have gotten off mine sooner.”

Dobbs said Rollins was shocked by the injury.

“He was kind of in disbelief, kind of like, ‘I can’t believe this is going on,’” Dobbs said. “I felt for him.”

So who replaces Jimmy? Well, there is the previously mentioned 37-year old Castro, but don’t forget that the Phils brass liked Triple A’s Wilson Valdez in spring training and might want to give him a shot if Rollins hits the MPL.

Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino had a nasty calf injury in 2007 and he says it can be a serious problem.

“From my personal experience, it’s not fun,” Victorino said. “It’s a frustrating thing, especially for a guy who runs and uses his speed. It changes your game because you can’t run as freely.”

It’s just the Grapefruit League right now, but it’s better to hear that Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels is looking very strong as opposed to him melting down on the mound after just two innings every time he suits up. But yes, Hamels was strong again on Tuesday as he allowed just two hits and one unearned run in five innings of work as the Phils beat the Detroit Tigers 6-1.

It’s not uncommon to see pitchers struggle in spring training as they work on new pitches or throw different pitches in situations where they wouldn’t normally. And Hamels is definitely trying new pitches as he has been mainly focusing on his curveball (he’s had it, but it never worked and he rarely threw it) and his new cutter. So far, it looks like the results have been favorable.

Hamels is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA this spring.

“There’s all different gears in there that you have to respect now,” pitching coach Rich Dubee said.

And Hamels threw his most devastating pitch, the changeup, just eight times. This is amazing for anyone who has watched Hamels work the past few years.

“I was really focused on throwing curveballs,” Hamels said in a high-pitched voice. “I threw a couple for first-pitch strikes. I threw a couple back-to-back to hitters. It’s just knowing I can get myself in a situation when I can throw it. That’s what really allows me to execute. Throwing the cutter, I thought I threw some pretty good ones to hitters.”

Hamels is the lynch pin of the Phils starting rotation. If he returns to 2008 form with even more pitches that he can trust, then he and Halladay might be the filthiest 1-2 punch in the NL, if not all of MLB.

Philadelphia Phillies fans who were worried about Cole Hamels this year (everyone) may be able to relax a bit. So far this spring, Hamels has been sharp even has he’s worked on his curveball and cutter. Hamels was back to old form today when he retired the first nine batters he faced before giving up a solo home run. That sounds like the Hamels we know and love.

Hamels went 3 2/3 innings in a 4-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon. He allowed one run, one hit and two walks in throwing 47 pitches (32 for strikes).

Most everyone agrees that Hamels is the lynch pin to the Phillies season. If he returns to 2008 form, the Phils will be by far the favorites to represent the National League in the World Series. If he doesn’t, they’ll have to rely on Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer to pitch much better than Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer.

There is a rumor running around that Brett Myers confronted Cole Hamels about his comments the other day regarding his 2009 season and him wanting it to be over. Philly.com writer Andy Martino does a good job in clearing it all up. It didn’t happen.

“There was no confrontation whatsoever,” Myers told me when reached by telephone this morning.

The version related in separate conversations with Myers and Phillies director of baseball communications Greg Casterioto was this: Myers was ready to leave last night, and was looking for Hamels in the locker room. A common inside joke when a Phillie is looking for a teammate is to say, “He quit,” (as in, “where’s so and so?” “Oh, he quit,” or “hey, there you are. I thought you quit”–and as someone who has been around that team all year, I’ve heard that joke many times.) and Myers dropped the line on Hamels when he saw the lefty at his locker. Hamels responded with a lighthearted expletive.

Myers said he was totally unaware of Hamels’ comments two days earlier. “I had no idea there was even a story going around about this,” he said. “We’re friends. There is no problem.”

Casterioto, who witnessed the entire non-event—and said that at least two prominent television reporters were also there and heard the brief exchange without feeling that it was newsworthy—called the idea of tension between Myers and Hamels “ludicrous.”

Philadelphia Phillies left hander Cole Hamels says he plans to add a fourth pitch to his repertoire in spring training next season.

This is news to OTR, as we are still waiting for him to add a third pitch. We are kidding….sort of.

Hamels is really a two-pitch pitcher. When he is locating his fastball and it’s crisp, his changeup is absolutely devastating. This season though, he hasn’t had the command of his fastball the way he’d like, and he’s been very inconsistent.

He has a curveball as a third pitch that he throws…sort of. It’s not an “out” pitch for him and it seems like he throws it a few times a game just to say he did.

So what about a fourth pitch?

“Putting another pitch in the back of the hitter’s mind can only help me,” Hamels said.

He’s thought about adding a cutter or a slider for a while and even experimented with the slider in August. He threw one in a game against Pittsburgh.

“It got hit, so I didn’t throw it again,” he said.

We’ll see what happens in spring training, when it’s a much better time to start tinkering with things like mechanics and new pitches. We are actually shocked he didn’t work on adding another pitch in this past spring training.

“We’d like to see him keep the curveball and add a more commandable breaking ball,” Dubee said.

Regardless, none of this is relevant to tonight’s Game 3 at home against the New York Yankees in the World Series. For now, he needs to get command of his fastball and let the changeup do its thing.

Charlie Manuel announced on his radio show Tuesday morning that Pedro Martinez will be his starter in Game 2 of the World Series, according to David Murphy’s Twitter feed. Murphy also tweeted that Manuel tabbed Cole Hamels as his guy in Game 3.

“Charlie manuel says on his radio show that pedro will pitch game 2, hamels game 3,” Murphy tweets.

The Phillies only need one more good start out of Pedro to make his mid-summer signing a huge success.

Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has announced that Cliff Lee will be his starter for Game 1 of the World Series Wednesday. This comes a complete surprise to everyone who hasn’t watched the playoffs so far and Cole Hamels in particular.

So far in the postseason, Lee has a 2-0 record, 0.74 ERA and 0.70 WHIP.

If Hamels could be reached for comment, he’d probably say something in a high-pitched voice.

The Philadelphia Phillies will face Clayton Kershaw Thursday night against the Dodgers. The 21-year old is 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA this season and is finally realizing his potential. Can’t really call him a top prospect anymore because he’s a legit stud at this point.

And he’s just soooo young and tender. Wait…..what??

Kershaw will battle Cole Hamels of the Phillies to start the NLCS.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels, who was pretty much MVP of everything in last year’s postseason, got off to a bad start this year against the Rockies in the NLDS. Hamels completed five innings, giving up seven hits and four earned runs in that time. Eck.

That’s not going to get it done if the Phillies have any chance of repeating. They are currently down 4-0 and just got their first runner in scoring position for the day in the sixth inning.

Joe Blanton has taken over for Hamels.

Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel just announced that Cliff Lee will be the team’s Game 1 starter for the Phillies against the Colorado Rockies tomorrow afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

After setting the world on fire when he first came to Philadelphia, Lee has cooled off considerably. Who knows that the Phils will get when he takes the mound on Wednesday? That said, Cole Hamels hasn’t inspired a ton of confidence this season either. This will be a real crapshoot offseason for the Phillies.