Cole Hamels threw in a minor-league game today in Clearwater. The result: Good, but a work in progress.
The ace threw 48 pitches, 35 for strikes. The final tally: 3.2 innings, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K. Good line, but 48 pitches is nowhere near game-ready. Hamels will get two more outings before the season begins; David Murphy reports he’ll probably throw 70 pitches in his next start (Suinday), then 90 against the Rays during the on-deck series.
Hamels said the soreness isn’t there anymore, and the velocity (not known yet) will increase as he throws more:
“Truly, I was trying to let the ball go,. But my velocity I think in spring training is always, every start, it will go tick, tick, tick (upwards).”
The April 10 target date for regular season pitching reported yesterday remains intact.
Tim MalcolmTim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.
