Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Hamels handcuffs Cardinals for first win

ST. LOUIS - Cole Hamels trotted out to the Busch Stadium mound shortly after 9 p.m. local time Monday. The bottom of the seventh inning signified just the second time this season the 31-year-old lefthander toed the rubber with a lead.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels (35) throws to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning at Busch Stadium. (Jeff Curry/USA Today)
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels (35) throws to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning at Busch Stadium. (Jeff Curry/USA Today)Read more

ST. LOUIS - Cole Hamels trotted out to the Busch Stadium mound shortly after 9 p.m. local time Monday. The bottom of the seventh inning signified just the second time this season the 31-year-old lefthander toed the rubber with a lead.

A three-run top of the seventh in the Phillies' 4-1 win matched the team's combined run support for its ace over his first four starts. Hamels' win was his first in seven outings dating to last season.

It came against the Cardinals on the same day the St. Louis ball club officially lost ace Adam Wainwright for the rest of the season.

The attention on Hamels (1-2) heightens when he pitches against a potential suitor.

After allowing just one run on four hits over seven innings, Hamels declined to address the possibility of a trade to the Cardinals. In his first win against them since 2007, he struck out a season-high nine but also walked four (one intentional) while throwing a season-high 114 pitches.

"I'm living in the moment, and that's kind of all I can do," he said. "In order to be accountable for what I have to do, I can't think in the future or the past. I've got to be here in the present."

Trade speculation surrounding the Phillies' top bargaining chip will only escalate with each starting pitcher's injury or struggles around Major League Baseball.

The last few days have seen more than their share of them. Two-and-a-half hours before Hamels took the mound Monday, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak faced a couple of dozen reporters to confirm that Wainwright was lost for the season with a torn left Achilles tendon.

An hour before Hamels' first pitch, on the other side of the country, Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy was ruled out for the season and part of the next one. McCarthy, who entered the season as Los Angeles' No. 3 starter because of an injury to Hyun-Jin Ryu, suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament, an injury that will likely require Tommy John surgery.

And while Hamels warmed up, Red Sox starter Joe Kelly was adding to the major-league-worst 5.75 ERA belonging to Boston's starting rotation.

If the pitcher maintains his health, Hamels' stock stands to only increase as the calendar inches closer to baseball's July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Monday was his 24th quality start in his last 28 outings.

In his first four starts, Hamels received a combined three runs of support while in games. Through Monday's first six innings, he appeared headed for another wasted outing. But Ben Revere's two-run double and Odubel Herrera's RBI single in the seventh put the Phillies (8-12) in line for their third win in four games.

Carlos Ruiz, who broke out of his slump with four hits, scored an insurance run in the ninth on a Darin Ruf groundout. Jonathan Papelbon's 111th career save left him one shy of tying Jose Mesa's franchise record.

"It seemed like [Hamels] really stepped it up a notch when he got the run support," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He was real sharp after that."

As long as the rebuilding Phillies hold onto their premier trade chip, the speculation regarding Hamels' suitors will persist. Three months, after all, remain until baseball's trade deadline.

The Cardinals, before resorting to the trade market, will look first to fill Wainwright's void internally, Mozeliak said. Their rotation entered the season's fourth Monday sporting a major-league-best 2.39 ERA.

In the meantime, they will plug in a minor-league pitcher as their fifth starter - either Tyler Lyons or Tim Cooney will start Thursday - while lefthanders Marco Gonzales and Jaime Garcia work back from injuries. That is the Cardinals' short-term solution. A potential long-term reinforcement showcased himself at their ballpark Monday.

What the Cards Have to Offer

The season-ending Achilles injury to Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright could lead St. Louis to enter the Cole Hamels sweepstakes. Here are five prospects in the Cards' farm system the Phillies could target in a potential deal for their ace lefthander:

LHP Marco Gonzales: The Cardinals would be more than reluctant to part with Gonzales. The 23-year-old lefthander with a touted change-up was the team's 19th overall draft pick two Junes ago and is already major-league ready. If he weren't on the seven-day disabled list, he might start against the Phillies on Thursday in Wainwright's place.

OF Stephen Piscotty: The Cards' top position-player prospect hits for average more than power and shows patience at the plate. At 24, he could debut in the majors as soon as this season. St. Louis drafted him 36th overall in 2012 out of Stanford, alma mater of Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr.

OF Randal Grichuk: Grichuk, 23, finished last season as the Cardinals' starting rightfielder. The former 24th overall pick is a power hitter and with that comes a high strikeout-to-walk rate. A back strain has him on the 15-day disabled list.

LHP Rob Kaminsky: The 20-year-old North Jersey native stands only 5-foot-11 but according to Baseball America features the best curveball in St. Louis' minor-league system. The former first-round pick is pitching in high single A this season.

C Carson Kelly: The Cardinals drafted Kelly in the second round of the 2012 draft and converted him from third base to catcher. Kelly, 20, hit .248 in single A last season and began this year in high A. - Jake Kaplan
EndText