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Hamels shuts down Nats as Phils get much-needed win

Sep 3, 2008 - 5:09 AM By Tim Hipps PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Cole Hamels scattered five hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings and Jimmy Rollins had two RBI to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

The victory kept the Phillies two games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets, a 6-5 winner over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. It also ended Washington's seven-game winning streak.

"When we send him out there, we think we're going to win the game," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Hamels (12-8), who has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his last 12 starts and pitched at least seven innings 23 times, the most in the majors.

"It's just one of those things where I want to pitch as many innings as I possibly can," said Hamels, who struck out six and walked three. "When you have a shutout going, you want to keep it and you want to finish your innings. Being able to come out of a game is disappointing to a sense, because whenever you start one, you want to finish. But the bullpen, all year I've had confidence in them, and they were able to get the job done."

Phillies relievers J.C. Romero and Chad Durbin each retired a batter in the eighth before closer Brad Lidge yielded a triple to Lastings Milledge and slammed the door on the Nationals in the ninth.

The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Pedro Feliz started the rally with a single up the middle. Carlos Ruiz

reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hamels. Rollins scored Ruiz with a single to left and took second on the throw home. Chase Utley followed with an RBI single that scored Rollins.

Jayson Werth then delivered a hit-and-run single to left-center field, advancing Utley to third.

With an 0-1 count on ensuing batter Ryan Howard, Nationals starter John Lannan (8-13) made a routine throw to first base to check Werth. Utley immediately dashed from third to home and was thrown out at the plate by Nationals first baseman Ronnie Belliard.

Utley lowered his shoulder and barreled over Nationals catcher Jesus Flores, who blocked the plate and held onto the ball for the final out of the inning.

"It was first and third, two out," Utley said. "(Lannan) kind of has a slow delivery to the plate, a slow delivery to first base, so I thought if he picked off, I had a possibility of stealing home. I was just ready for it, I felt like I got a good jump, Belliard made a quick throw home, and there you have it.

"I thought the only option I had at that point to be safe was to try and knock the ball loose. I didn't know he was hurt until I went back on the field. I do feel bad he was hurt. My intention was definitely not to hurt him, my intention was to knock the ball loose."



Flores stayed down on the ground near home plate for several minutes before his left ankle was placed in a splint and he was moved onto a stretcher and carted off the field. X-rays revealed no obvious signs of a fracture.

"When I saw him in the type of pain that he was, I was very worried," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "I felt really bad for the kid, but X-rays were negative and it just looks like an ankle sprain right now. We'll have an MRI tomorrow and we'll find out more about it, but the good news is that the X-rays didn't show anything."

Flores, 23, of Carupano, Venezuela, led the National League and ranked sixth in the major leagues with a .374 batting average with runners in scoring position. The youngest regular catcher in the majors, he leads the Nationals with 59 RBI despite starting only 78 of 139 games.

"We looked at the video several times and he was just right in front of the plate and (Utley) went hard at him and just tried to knock the ball out of his glove," Acta said. "When you go head first into a guy who has a bunch of gear, his cleat just got stuck in front of home plate and that's why his ankle wouldn't give in, but we didn't think it was a dirty play."

"That's how you play the game, unless you want to put some rouge and lipstick on," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.

The Phillies scored two runs in the seventh against Nationals reliever Lavale Speigner. Feliz and Ruiz had back-to-back singles and eventually scored on Rollins' RBI single to right and Utley's groundout for an inning-ending double play.

Nationals left-hander John Lannan (8-13) allowed two runs on five hits in six innings of work.

"It's definitely a tough lineup," Lannan said. "That's why they're battling for first place with the Mets right now. They're tough from top to bottom. You don't really get any breaks. You've just got to go out there and battle from first pitch to last pitch.

"Cole Hamels is just a great pitcher. You lose to him, you just tip your hat and move on."