Late Flourish Secures Hamels A Win
The Phils led 3-2 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, when the offense decided to notch a couple more runs on the scoreboard to secure Cole Hamels his third win of the year. Hamels was again very strong, going 7.1 innings while surrendering just two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out six. Again it was tough for Hamels to get to the eighth, as he gave up a double and a walk. This time, however, the bullpen was ready to save him, and Tom Gordon got the final two outs to keep the Phils lead.
Then the offense broke out. The Pedros (Feliz and Ruiz) struck gold with a double and a single, scoring three. Greg Dobbs added an RBI double of his own off Padres’ reliever Kevin Cameron. With a 7-2 lead, the win was in the bag. Even a Scott Hairston home run (his second) off Ryan Madson didn’t strike fear.
It was a solid win by the Phils, who got a great start, good clutch relief pitching and timely hitting. Jayson Werth had a fine game, tripling and scoring in the third, and battling vs. tough sinkerballer Cla Meredith to induce a big sacrifice fly in the seventh. That proved to be the difference if you take away the late runs. Werth – who sees more pitches than anyone in baseball – continues to be an awesome surprise since his addition last season.
Associated Press photo
