Cole Hamels: Perfection Part II

After a great stretch of 13 wins in 14 games the Phils have struggled against the Brewers in their two losses, losing in the 9th inning of both games. Ryan Franklin gave up the game on Tuesday by throwing the ball away, and Arthur Rhodes' appearance proved rocky on Wednesday when he walked the 8 hole hitter to lead off the inning, who then eventually scored. The walks for Arthur Rhodes are starting to pile up, and are starting to affect this team. Maybe it is time to stop bringing him in for key appearances.

Tonight, the Phillies attempt to halt their small two-game losing streak against the Brewers by sending King Cole Hamels to the mound. Hamels brings some major league experience into this start, after having a decent entry into the bigs(5 IP 1 hit, 5 walks, 7 Ks). Hopefully the jitters have been shaken off and he can be the stopper for this team.

Hamels will face a good Brewer offense, just as he faced a good Reds offense. The anticipation for his first home start is building, which will not be until Sunday May 28th against the Brewers (again). But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves...the Phils need to win tonight.

Prediction for tonight: 7 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 2BB, 7K