NEW YORK - Phillies manager Charlie Manuel threw his support squarely in the corner of Cole Hamels, saying he would have confidence in sending the lefthander out to the mound for a potential Game 7 tomorrow.
Ever since Hamels allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings of an 8-5 loss to the Yankees in Game 3, his future has been the subject of much debate among fans and media members. After the outing, during which he cruised through his first three innings then allowed a two-run homer to Alex Rodriguez in the fourth and three more runs in the fifth, Hamels was quoted as saying he could not wait for the season to be over, which was interpreted by some to mean that he had given up on pitching well in the postseason.
After the Phillies' 8-6 win in Game 5, Hamels spent 10 to 15 minutes meeting with Manuel, during which he stated his case for starting a possible Game 7. Later, he explained himself to reporters, saying he did not realize how his answer to a question about how he would assess his season would look in print.
"I think Charlie knows me," Hamels said. "He's managed me for quite a few years. I think the only doubt it left in people's minds was the fans', and that hurts because I love the city of Philadelphia and I play as hard as I possibly can. I might not necessarily have the results that they hope, but I know that if I go out there and do everything I possibly can, and in the end, if they see that I've left everything I possibly can out on the field, then I think they can respect that."
Manuel said he and Hamels worked things out.
"We talked about some of the things that were said, and I felt very good about it, really," Manuel said. "I know Hamels. I've been a Hamels guy ever since I saw him pitch in Lakewood . . . I want you to listen to this - I never, ever questioned his mental toughness, because he's just as tough as anybody on our team. And I mean that."
Hamels' transformation from MVP to lightning rod continued yesterday after a report by Yahoo!Sports apparently misinterpreted a clubhouse exchange between the young lefthander and veteran righthander Brett Myers. Witnesses said yesterday that what at worst was a poorly timed joke was instead portrayed by the Web site as a "tense confrontation" between the two pitchers.
The irony, of course, is that even after setting the record straight on one issue, Hamels found himself mired in another controversy, one that began when Myers walked past him and reportedly said, "What are you doing here? I thought you quit."
Hamels reportedly responded with an expletive.
To those who are familiar with the Phillies' clubhouse, the exchange was nothing new. One such person, Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal, witnessed the exchange and wrote on FoxSports.com that he took it as a joke and confirmed what Phillies director of media relations Greg Casterioto told the Daily News: that the exchange did happen, but that it was "in no way" the "tense confrontation" that Yahoo! reported.
In fact, minutes earlier, Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino had busted Hamels' chops about his post-Game 3 comments, saying that he would "whip" the pitcher's rear end if he messed up another quote. Hamels then told Victorino, who injured a finger during Game 5, "That's OK. You only have one arm."
"When you say 'Manny being Manny' or something like that," Manuel said, referring to notoriously whimsical Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez, "well, Brett was being Brett. Brett likes to throw that jab at you, and sometimes it doesn't matter who's around . . . "
And if there is a Game 7?
"I'm not hesitant to pitch him any time," Manuel said. "But we've got tomorrow to play. I'm not going to say who's going to pitch. Cole Hamels can pitch for me any time."
Victorino update
Shane Victorino, who was hit on the right hand with an A.J. Burnett pitch while squaring to bunt in the first inning, was examined by doctors in Philadelphia. X-rays revealed no fracture, but his index finger remains swollen, and his status for tonight remains up in the air.
"He'll probably get in the ballpark early tomorrow, and when he first comes in, I'll go talk to him and I'll go talk to our trainer when our trainer comes in," Charlie Manuel said. "They just said he's day-to-day, and they said he's going to have some soreness in his finger. We'll see."
Manuel said he likely would use Ben Francisco in centerfield if Victorino is unable to play, which likely would result in Eric Bruntlett, the team's only other righthanded hitting reserve, serving as the designated hitter.
No lineup change
Although lefthanded sluggers Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez combined to go 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts against Andy Pettitte in Game 3, Manuel said he was hesitant to change his lineup for tonight's game. In the past, Manuel has hit Utley second and Jayson Werth, who hit two home runs off of Pettitte in Game 3, third, while moving Victorino to fifth or sixth.
"I've messed with it before," Manuel said. "Utley has hit second and I put Victorino down sixth and Jayson Werth up in the three-hole . . . but I don't want to do that . . . I like Werth standing in between Howard and Ibanez."
