Cole Hamels struggled at times Wednesday but kept his team close enough to earn his first win of the season.
Hamels has always pitched well against the Washington Nationals but on Wednesday he didn't look great against the lowly Nats.
Yes, Hamels got the win and the Phillies moved to 2-0 after beating the Nationals 8-4 but he only lasted five innings and allowed a base runner in every inning.
Hamels wasn't nearly as impressive as Roy Halladay in the season opener. King Cole had an impressive 7-3 career record and a 2.30 ERA against the Nationals going into the game.
Hamels struggled with his control throughout the game and walked the first batter he faced on four pitches. He tallied four walks in five innings of work as he struggled to find the plate.
Hamels also had five strikeouts on the night and gave up two earned runs.
Many fans wondered which Hamels would show up -- the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP who went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in the postseason or the 2009 version who went 10-11 on the season and 1-2 in the postseason with a 7.58 ERA.
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Hamels certainly didn’t measure up to his 2008 form but he did look better than last year. He put the team in a position to win while letting the potent Phils offense feast on Jason Marquis early in the game.
The Phillies knocked Marquis around for eight hits as he made an early exit after four innings of work and took the loss. Placido Polanco stayed hot as he went 2-for-4 with a double and scored three runs.
Ryan Howard also kept up the pace with three RBI on the night and a tape-measure home run in the fifth inning that sent Marquis to the showers.
Ryan Madson (closing while Brad Lidge is on the mend) went 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save.
