Philadelphia Phillies beat Washington Nationals 4-1 as Cole Hamels shines - MLB Update
Starter Cole Hamels strikes-out eight and the Philadelphia Phillies surge to a 4-1 win against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 23, 2012 in third game of the three match series.
The Nationals were successful in handling Roy Halladay, but against Hamels, they were clueless. Giving an impression of exacting avenge of his fellow hurler who was dealt damage in the last game, Hamels did not leave the mound until he had brought the Nationals
on brink of defeat.
Eight innings he threw went scoreless. While he walked three times, only four hits were given up.
Relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon was about to succumb to the pressure in ninth, unsettling the Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel, whose anger at bullpen was already peaking, following number of defeats relievers cost the club few weeks ago.
Fortunately for the Phillies, Papelbon allowed only one run and kept the lead intact as a result.
The Nationals' manager Davey Johnson was all-praise of Hamels. He termed his quality throws as the biggest reason why their hitters failed. By keeping them to just four hits in eight innings, damage he had wreaked was almost irreversible, Johnson hinted.
"We just couldn't get anything going off Hamels," Davey Johnson said. "You have to tip your hat to him. He's tough. He's done that to a lot of people."
Short-stop Ian Desmond had a rare hitless game for the Nationals. First baseman Adam LaRoche added one RBI and managed one hit in four at-bats.
The Phillies’ offence was relatively better in terms of number of hits. Their catcher Carlos Ruiz, in a stand out show on plate, made three hits in four at-bats and completed one run.
"It was a very good game," Charlie Manuel said. "I liked the way we played. I was trying to get us loose. I was trying to do some things to loosen things up. You shouldn't be tight on our team. We'll let you play."
Forgetting about fixing issues with offence will be a serious mistake by the Phillies. Only way through which they can sustain success and achieve something substantial in the season is by strengthening the offence.
As their pitchers are among the best in the season, the manager will hope to see hitters complementing perfection ahead in the season.
Tags: