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Hamels dominant as Phillies reach .500 mark

May 17, 2007 - 5:11 AM PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Cole Hamels was nearly perfect to help the Philadelphia Phillies become average.

Hamels took a perfect game into the seventh inning and the Phillies won their third straight game with a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in a game that was delayed by the rain at the start for 1 hour, 32 minutes.

Hamels (6-1) started by striking out the side in the first inning and he retired the first 18 batters he faced to pick up his fourth victory in as many starts.

The 23-year-old lefthander has now pitched seven or more innings in each of his last four starts for the Phillies, who are .500 (20-20) for the first time this season.

"I think every time he goes out there you expect him to be real good," Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said. "Cole's a special pitcher and he's only getting better."

Milwaukee got its first baserunner of the game when Rickie Weeks walked to lead off the seventh. The no-hitter was broken up by J.J. Hardy, who followed with his National League-leading 13th home run to left field to make it 6-2.

"I was bummed," Hamels said on the walk. "You anticipate and you want it so bad (the perfect game) and when you let it go it is so frustrating because you are so close. I can't dwell on that because I have the next hitter, unfortunately some bad things happened there."

"You can't really try to do too much when he's throwing the ball that good," Hardy said. "He just walked Rickie (Weeks). Let two (pitches) get away from me, put me in a hitter's count 2-0. Threw a changeup, then a fastball in and I saw it pretty well and just took an easy swing."

Hamels, who allowed two runs and two hits with just one walk and 11 strikeouts, got through the eighth before giving way to Brett Myers.

"He was tough. You can't take that away from him," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "That's as good a pitching performance as we've seen all year with the fastball, changeup and curveball. With the crispness on all three pitches."

"He was outstanding," Phillies second baseman Chase Utley added. "He has pitched like this before. It was a great crowd. He kept the crowd into it. I am glad he is on my side."

Aaron Rowand hit a three-run homer in the second inning off Brewers starter Jeff Suppan to give the Phillies a 5-0 lead. It was more than enough support for Hamels, who led Philadelphia to its sixth win in its last seven games.

"We did not start out the season too well, but we are playing better baseball right now," Utley said. "We are hitting with guys in scoring position, making plays and pitching well. We are going to win some games."

Suppan (5-4) allowed six runs and nine hits in seven innings.

"'Soup' getting through (seven) innings right there was a big boost to our 'pen," Yost said. "Kept us in the game at that point."

One of the surprise stories of the season thus far, the Brewers have lost four games in a row for the first time this season.

Tied with Atlanta for the National League's best record entering the game, Milwaukee had not dropped four consecutive games since enduring a 10-game skid that ended last September 3.

"There's no secret to it. You can't get down. You can't panic," Yost said on the team's current slide.

Milwaukee is still looking for its 10th road victory of the season. The Brewers didn't accomplish that feat until June 12 last season.