By Jay King

– Newsdesk contributor

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Dec 7, 2011 – An old baseball adage says teams can’t have enough pitching. The Philadelphia Phillies could be testing that theory, according to Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal.

Already armed with a deep and talented staff, the Phillies are one of a dozen teams reportedly interested in dealing for Oakland A’s lefty starter Gio Gonzalez.

Philadelphia’s interest in Gonzalez is somewhat of a surprise considering that the Phillies rotation is already anchored by Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, but Rosenthal suggests that acquiring Gonzalez could give Philadelphia insurance in case Hamels leaves via free agency in 2012. Adding Gonzalez could also potentially allow Philadelphia to dangle Hamels as trade bait during the final season of his contract.

Rosenthal reports that the Tigers, Diamondbacks, Marlins, and Reds are also known to be interested in Gonzalez. The Blue Jays, Nationals, Red Sox, Rangers and Rockies are also looking to add pitching and could be intrigued by the prospect of dealing for Gonzalez.

Gonzalez was 16-12 last year with a 3.12 ERA. He was a Phillies farmhand in 2005.

For more Philadelphia Phillies coverage, visit our team page, or our blog The Good Phight.

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels
has undergone two expected surgeries, the team said Friday.

The left-hander had loose bodies removed from his pitching elbow and underwent
a procedure on an inguinal hernia.

The Phillies said in a tweet that Hamels, who was 14-9 with a 2.79 earned run
average for the NL East champions, should begin throwing in 3-4 weeks.

On Wednesday, first baseman Ryan Howard had surgery to repair a torn left
Achilles tendon. Howard was injured while grounding into the final out of
Philadelphia’s Game 5 loss to St. Louis in the NL divisional round.

The Sports Network

Lefthander Cole Hamels, who will start Game 3 for the
Philadelphia Phillies in today’s National League division series
against the Cardinals, had an easy answer Monday as to why he
thought the Cardinals have the best offense in the league this
season.

“I think they have a great hitting coach,” Hamels said. “Ever
since they’ve got Big Mac (Mark McGwire) over there, their lineup
has (been) outstanding. Especially with not having (Matt) Holliday
in their lineup as much as he normally is and the struggles of what
Albert (Pujols) had in the beginning of the season, they’ve
definitely come full circle.

“They know how to manufacture hit after hit after hit and I
think that’s how they really get you going. They don’t just survive
off the long ball, even though they’re capable of doing that. They
definitely know how to play small ball.”

The last time Hamels (14-9, 2.79 ERA) faced the Cardinals, on
Sept. 18, he gave up home runs to Pujols and Allen Craig in a 5-0
loss in Philadelphia. Hamels, in fact, allowed nine homers in six
September games, covering 38 innings.

“September is pretty frustrating,” Hamels said, “just for the
fact that every run I did give up was because of a home run. And
the mistakes I made … they weren’t just getting doubles or
singles, they were hitting them out.

“I know a couple of the homers I gave up to some big-name guys
(Pujols was three for 20 against Hamels before that game), they
happened to just finally get me and I think that happens in
baseball. There were a few, though, (where) I did make some really
bad decisions.”

Hamels was the most valuable player in both the National League
championship series and the World Series in 2008 when the Phillies
won the championship. He is 4-1 in postseason games on the road,
including a shutout over Cincinnati to wrap up the Phillies’
division series win last year.

“When you have the fans not really on your side,” Hamels said,
“you kind of want to bear down a little bit more and kind of be
able to take a game from them.”

 

LINEUP MATTERS

Although left fielder Raul Ibanez has driven in four runs in the
first two games of the series, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said
he probably would use righthanded-hitting John Mayberry Jr. in left
field tonight against Cardinals lefthander Jaime Garcia. Mayberry
was a .306 hitter against lefthanded pitching in the regular
season, while the lefthanded-hitting Ibanez hit only .211 against
southpaws.

Garcia has held the Phillies to one run in 15 innings this
season. Said Manuel, “He has good command and he uses all his
pitches and he keeps his cool against us. He’s really kept his
composure.”

 

POLANCO STRUGGLING

Phils third baseman Placido Polanco, laboring with a sports
hernia condition that will require surgery after the season, is
nothing for eight with three strikeouts and is four for his last 32
counting the end of the regular season. Polanco, who hit .398 in
April before he suffered what was presumed to be merely a back
ailment that was later diagnosed as a sports hernia, hardly ever
strikes out, fanning only 44 times in 469 regular-season
at-bats.

“I think (the hernia) bothers him some,” Manuel said. “He gets
real tight and sore and I think it definitely bothers him.”

 

HAWAIIAN CONNECTION

Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino, a Hawaii native, said
he called infielder Kolten Wong, the Cardinals’ first-round pick
from the University of Hawaii, before the June draft.

“I know his dad a little bit,” Victorino said. “I never got to
see Kolten play but I heard a lot of good things about him. I was
definitely excited to hear another Hawaiian kid got that
opportunity.

“Leading up to the draft, I just told him, ‘If you get the
opportunity, make the most of it.’ Getting picked as high as he
did, I felt good for him.”

Wong, who batted .335, led his Quad Cities team to the Midwest
League championship.

On the night he was drafted, Wong had said he emulated Phillies
shortstop Jimmy Rollins. “That’s good to know,” Victorino said.
“Maybe I’ll have to connect the two of them at some point.”

David Herndon yielded Gaby Sanchez’s go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning and the Florida Marlins also got two homers from Mike Cameron in an 8-4 win.

Hamels allowed three runs and four hits, including home runs to Cameron and Mike Stanton. The left-hander struck out seven and walked three.

“Every mistake I made was a homer, and that’s tough — especially when you’re only up by a little bit,” Hamels said.

Hamels was 2 for 3 at the plate, driving in a run with an infield hit in the second and a line drive to center in the fourth.

“My game is to pitch,” Hamels said. “I could get as many hits and homers as I wanted to, but my goal is to not allow runs. That’s what I value more — making the pitches and not giving up runs. Unfortunately, I kept (Florida) in the game.”

Antonio Bastardo (6-1) replaced Hamels in the eighth and walked Omar Infante and Logan Morrison before Herndon came in. The runners moved up on a sacrifice before Sanchez went deep, hitting a drive to left on a 1-0 pitch to give the Marlins a 6-4 lead. Cameron followed with another homer, and pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs connected later in the inning.

“We didn’t want to walk Sanchez,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “We talked about it, but we didn’t want to walk him.”

Edward Mujica (9-5) pitched a scoreless inning to get the win.

Florida starter Ricky Nolasco allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings.

Stanton left with right hamstring tightness after he grounded out to end the fifth inning. He was listed as day to day.

The Phillies went ahead 4-3 with two outs in the fourth when Hamels lined a single to center that scored Carlos Ruiz from second. Ruiz singled with one out and advanced on Wilson Valdez’s groundout.

Stanton’s 32nd home run in the third tied it at 3. Stanton sent Hamels’ 1-1 pitch into the second deck in left field for a solo shot.

Philadelphia took a 3-0 lead in the second on Valdez’s two-run triple and Hamels’ run-scoring infield single.

NOTES: The game started after a 1-hour, 38-minute rain delay. The first two innings were played in a steady, heavy drizzle. … The Marlins announced SS Hanley Ramirez will not play again this season and is expected to undergo left shoulder surgery. Ramirez should be ready for opening day next season, when the team opens a new ballpark in Miami. … Phillies ace Roy Halladay (16-5) pitches the series finale Sunday against Anibal Sanchez (7-7).

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Philadelphia Phillies activated pitcher
Cole Hamels from the 15-day disabled list on Monday.

Hamels landed on the DL last Tuesday with left shoulder inflammation, although
the move was retroactive to August 13 — the day after his last start.

A 2011 NL All-Star selection, Hamels has a record of 13-7 with a 2.62 ERA in
25 starts with the Phillies this season.

He is scheduled to start the team’s series opener in Cincinnati on Monday.

Infielder/outfielder Pete Orr, who was called up when Hamels went on the DL,
was optioned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He made three pinch-hit
appearances during Philadelphia’s recent homestand.

In 32 games with the Phillies this season, Orr has hit .227 with three RBI.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels(notes) has been having a stellar season: He’s got the seventh-best ERA in the majors at 2.62 and is tied for seventh best in wins with 13.

The 27-year-old had a rare bad outing this past Friday against the Washington Nationals, though, going only five innings and giving up six hits, four walks, and three runs in a 4-3 loss. The pitcher’s performance caused some concern.

A source to CSNPhilly.com reports that Hamels “underwent a precautionary MRI Monday on his pitching shoulder.” Manager Charlie Manuel said Friday that the 6-3 lefty had some stiffness in the shoulder, the site reports.

“It was just one of those things where I wasn’t able to get loosened up,” Hamels said after the game, CSN reports. “It’s that time of the year where you’re a little fatigued a little bit and battle through it and move on to the next game.”

However, the team is taking extra precautions, giving Hamels the MRI and perhaps skipping him in his next scheduled start on Friday, according to the site.

The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said last week that the team would consider moving to a six-man rotation in order to give its starters extra rest in preparation for the postseason.

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Source: CSNPhilly.comPhiladelphia Inquirer

Related: Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals