He’s not mentally tough. He stinks. He’s a prima donna. Those were just a few of things some Philadelphia fans were saying after Cole Hamels’ poor first outing against the New York Mets. The criticism is nothing new for Cole in Philly. After a rough ’09 campaign and shaky start in 2010 there has been a raging Anti-Cole sentiment among some of the Phillies’ fan base.
Thankfully, those fans are not in control of player personnel moves. Cole Hamels came out with a vengeance for his start against the Atlanta Braves. He was cool, calm and collected during his seven innings of dominant work. After striking out eight and keeping the Braves off the score board, Hamels gave way to Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras to finish off the shut-out performance.
Derek Lowe was solid for Atlanta, but the Phils managed to scrape up a few runs. Shane Victorino led the charge with a couple singles and a home run for good measure. Victorino was on fire this weekend, going 9 for 13, showing that he is the right choice at the lead-off spot for Philadelphia.
The Braves offensive woes continued as they managed only four hits against Hamels. So far this season, Atlanta’s offense has been the exact opposite of Philadelphia’s. Where the Phillies have only one starter batting under .300, the Braves’ Brian McCann is the only starter hitting above .300. It is only April and barring any significant injuries it should be a two team race for the N.L East crown, but new manager, Fredi Gonzalez can’t be happy with this start for the “revamped” Braves lineup.
Today’s victory gave the Phils the series win and gave the Cole detractors a reason to keep quiet for another five days. The more consistent Hamels is, the more pleasant the streets of downtown Philly will be to walk through this season.
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