Hamels to Miss Next Start
The Phillies announced yesterday that ace Cole Hamels will miss his start tonight due to a strained elbow on his pitching arm. He will have an MRI today to determine the cause of the soreness and extent of a possible injury. If Hamels is placed on the DL it would bring the tally of Phillies on the disabled list to 13. Cole had complained of soreness last week though he pitched through the pain to collect his 14th win in Washington. He leads the team in Innings Pitched (6th in the NL) with over 167 and is known for his longer-than usual training sessions during off days. Of course we must recall the fact that Cole hasn’t seen a full season of pitching since high school. Perhaps the grind of a major league season is taking a toll on the young phenom. The team doctors said he could be out anywhere from one to three weeks. My only worry is that last year when Cole went down with an injury, he realized that he could have played through the pain and likely shouldn’t have mentioned it. He pitched well on Thursday but if he says he can’t start tonight, then I’m afraid it could be serious. Let’s hope the MRI provides good news. In the meantime, J.D. Durbin gets the nod tonight.
INJURY UPDATE: The number of Phillies on the DL remains at 12 as Cole Hamels was placed on the 15-day list with a “mild left elbow strain” and Shane Victorino was activated. The good news is that Cole’s MRI showed no structural damage and his placement on the DL is retroactive to August 17. This means he is eligible to return to the team on September 1 and will miss his next three scheduled starts.
