PITTSBURGH - It was not one of those nights when Cole Hamels seemed to glide between the mound and dugout between innings, when baseball appeared easier for him than everyone else on the field. Hamels had to fight for this one - and that's exactly what he wanted to prove he could do.
Once again, faulty relief pitching threatened to diminish a night's worth of effort, though the Phillies were able to defeat Pittsburgh, 4-1, in 10 innings last night at PNC Park. With beleaguered closer Brad Lidge unavailable after pitching in four consecutive games, Ryan Madson blew his fifth save of the year.
Madson surrendered a ninth-inning home run to pinch-hitter Brandon Moss, but the Phillies won it on Ryan Howard's three-run homer in the 10th. The night helped to ease one concern for the team, Hamels' inconsistency, and exacerbate another, the bullpen. Madson was able to pitch a scoreless 10th to earn the win.
In eight shutout innings, Hamels stranded nine baserunners and threw 123 pitches. Often in trouble, he displayed a calm focus that had been absent at times in recent months.
"He pitched real good," said a smiling Charlie Manuel. "His velocity was good. He stayed after it. When he had runners on base, he got even better."
Hamels has created many more questions than answers this season, but it is clear what he needs to improve: He often struggles to overcome frustration during subpar performances, compounding his problems and creating disastrous innings. He has failed to consistently throw strikes with his fastball, after commanding that pitch masterfully last season, particularly on the outside corner. Finally, he understands the need to develop a curveball but has been reluctant to do so because he does not have confidence in the pitch.
Hamels showed progress on all benchmarks last night, particularly the ability to work out of trouble. The first two batters in the second inning singled, bringing up the bottom third of the Pittsburgh order. Manuel said before the game that he wanted to see Hamels return to being "smooth and easy, concentrate on making quality pitches," and the pitcher did just that, retiring the next three batters in order.
He pitched around a leadoff single in the third, left the bases loaded in the fourth, and stranded one in the sixth and two in the seventh.
Until last night, "my approach was almost trying to throw a perfect game too much," Hamels said. "And forgetting how you get those results - by just pitching."
Pitching coach Rich Dubee has regularly criticized Hamels for poor fastball command, the result of trying to overthrow. Before the game, Dubee said, "He should not be throwing the fastball like he's trying to put it through a brick wall."
Hours later, Hamels showed marked improvement on that front. Of his 123 pitches, 82 were strikes. He also threw his curveball more than usual, and later in the game. After striking out Delwyn Young swinging with a curveball in the first inning, Hamels stuck with the pitch, using it as late as the eighth.
"I usually don't use it that late in the game because I have a hard time throwing it for strikes, but tonight I felt good about it," he said.
After Madson blew the save, threatening to wipe out Hamels' progress, Howard gave Manuel another opportunity to play with a recently devised nickname.
"The Big Piece was right on time tonight," Manuel said of Howard, who had one hit in first four at-bats. "He was running from behind. Caught up in the end."
Contact staff writer Andy Martino at 215-854-4874 or amartino@phillynews.com.
