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Phillies-Pirates Preview

Aug 26, 2009 - 4:27 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Philadelphia (72-50) at Pittsburgh (51-71), 7:05 p.m. EDT

Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge were instrumental to Philadelphia's World Series championship run a year ago, but neither have helped the Phillies win much lately.

After Lidge blew another save in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Hamels tries to break out of his slide and help the NL East-leading Phillies get back on track Wednesday night at PNC Park.

Philadelphia (72-51) rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth to take a 4-3 lead Tuesday night, but Lidge failed to get an out in the bottom half and the Phillies went on to lose 6-4. Lidge allowed singles to Luis Cruz and pinch-hitter Brandon Moss before Andrew McCutchen's game-ending, two-run homer sent the Phillies to their third loss in 15 games. They still own a seven-game lead in the division.

Lidge looks nothing like the pitcher that converted all 48 saves chances last year, including seven in the playoffs. He has a major league-worst nine blown saves in 33 attempts and a 7.33 ERA, but manager Charlie Manuel isn't contemplating a change.

"We just keep going. We just keep playing," Manuel said. "That's where we're at. That's our closer. That's the guy we give the ball to in the ninth inning."

Like Lidge, Hamels (7-8, 4.78 ERA) was also outstanding in the 2008 postseason. Hamels was 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five playoffs starts and named the 2008 World Series MVP, but isn't enjoying the same success this season.

Hamels, who has the NL's fifth-worst ERA this season after boasting the league's sixth-best a year ago (3.09), is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in four starts this month, with the Phillies losing each time. The left-hander gave up four runs and 10 hits in five innings of a 4-2 loss to the New York Mets on Friday.

"That's kind of the game I've seen him pitch now the last three or four times out," Manuel said. "It's just a matter of getting more consistent, putting a couple good outings back to back. It's a feel. And like right now, he lacks his, what I call his real good feel and his smoothness and his command of pitching."

Hamels wasn't particularly sharp in his only start of the season against the Pirates on July 11, allowing five runs and seven hits in six innings of an 8-7 victory, but didn't receive a decision.

Getting back on track against a Pittsburgh (52-71) team playing much better lately won't be easy.

Led by an offensive outburst, the Pirates have won six of seven after losing 17 of 20. They've plated 41 runs in the last seven after scoring 57 in the previous 20.

"This is going to help us, especially when we're playing big-caliber teams like this," McCutchen said of a mostly young Pirates team that has shed nearly all of its original starting lineup in trades. "This shows us we can compete."

Paul Maholm (7-7, 4.74) takes the ball for the Pirates looking to build on his first win in seven weeks.

Maholm allowed one run and eight hits in 7 2-3 innings of a 3-1 win over Milwaukee last Wednesday, his first victory since defeating Houston on July 7. The left-hander was 0-3 with a 7.42 ERA in his previous five starts.

Maholm now tries to win back-to-back starts for the first time since winning three in a row April 11-22.

This will be Maholm's first start of the season against the Phillies, a team he went 1-0 with a 0.56 ERA in two starts against last year.