YONG KIM / Staff photographer
Cole Hamels denies that he used a larger glove last night because he had been tipping pitches.
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Paul Hagen: Tipping or not, Phillies starter Hamels still struggles
THERE HAVE been plenty of theories about why Cole Hamels hasn't been as dominant this October as he was a year ago.
That he isn't throwing enough curveballs. That the birth of his first child has disrupted his routine. That he never completely bounced back from logging more than 260 innings last season.
Here's one more: Sources indicated that the Phillies were concerned that the lefthander has been tipping his pitches by the placement of his wrist. As a result, he was supposed to use a larger model of his black TPK glove for his start in Game 5 last night. The idea was that it would help disguise the telltale sign.
Phillies personnel wouldn't confirm the switch. "But that would make sense," one insider allowed with a knowing smile.
Afterward, Hamels denied that he had made an equipment change. "Nope. Same glove," he said.
While it was impossible to say with 100 percent certainty, it appeared that the glove he used last night was slightly longer than the one he'd used in recent starts.
There is some anecdotal evidence that makes the theory plausible. In his regular-season career against the Dodgers, Hamels is 2-0 with a 1.50 earned run average in four starts. That does not include last year's National League Championship Series, when he went 2-0, 1.93 against Los Angeles.
In his Game 1 start at Dodger Stadium a week ago today, though, he went only 5 1/3 innings while allowing four runs on eight hits.
True, anybody can have a bad game. But Hamels also lasted only five innings against the Rockies in the first round and was charged with four runs. The pitcher who was voted Most Valuable Player of both the NLCS and World Series last October went into last night's start with a 6.97 postseason ERA.
And postseason is the time of year when clubs send multiple scouts to check out possible playoff opponents and literally do a frame-by-frame analysis of each pitcher, hoping to come up with a tidbit that would give them an edge.
If tipping pitches has been Hamels' problem, though, the glove he used apparently wasn't the solution. He lasted only 4 1/3 innings while giving up three runs on five hits, and continued to have trouble commanding his fastball and throwing sharp breaking pitches to lefthanded hitters.
The Phillies were able to overlook that while they were spraying champagne after last night's 10-4 clinching win. So far, his ineffectiveness hasn't cost them. But they can't be sure what they'll get out of him against the Yankees or Angels in the next round, and that's a real concern.
"I know I haven't been able to do as much as I'd like," he said in the middle of the celebration. "It's frustrating."
Did you notice
* That Dodgers manager Joe Torre, with nothing left to play for if his team didn't win last night, had lefthander Clayton Kershaw and righthander Chad Billingsley warming up behind starter Vicente Padilla in the second inning? Padilla was knocked out without retiring a batter in the fourth.
* That the crowd seemed to assume that the Yankees are next? Signs like "Spank the Yanks" and "Bring on the Bronx" sprouted in the seats when the game ended. Of course, New York still has to finish off the Angels before a Phillies-Yankees World Series becomes a reality.
Rollins' walkoff history
Long before Jimmy Rollins electrified Phillies fans everywhere with his dramatic walkoff double Monday night, when he played for Double A Reading in 1999, he was already honing the ability to rise to the occasion.
