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First place Phils start homestand vs. Padres

Jul 22, 2011 - 2:40 PM (Sports Network) - Cole Hamels tries to rebound from his worst start of the season this evening when the Philadelphia Phillies open a four-game series against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park.

Hamels was banged around by the New York Mets on Saturday for seven runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 frames. The All-Star left-hander also waked a season-high four batters, as he fell to 11-5 on the year to go along with a 2.71 earned run average.

"I wasn't hitting my spots," said Hamels, who did not last six innings for just the third time this season. "If you are over the plate and down, you can get away with it. But I was up in the zone, not with my cutter and my changeup, but my fastball."

A native of San Diego, Hamels has gotten the best of the Padres throughout his career, posting a 5-2 mark with a 2.42 ERA in 10 starts. That was certainly the case back on April 22 when Hamels struck out eight over eight scoreless innings.

The Phillies return home tonight after a 4-2 road trip that culminated with a 9-1 rout in Chicago on Wednesday. Jimmy Rollins homered twice in that one, while Vance Worley gave up a run in a career-high eight innings.

"His hitting is starting to pick up," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Rollins. "When his hitting picks up, his numbers go up of course."

The Padres, meanwhile, enter tonight's tilt eyeing a season-high fourth straight win following a three-game sweep in Florida that saw them outscore the Marlins, 23-6.

On Thursday, Cameron Maybin finished 4-for-5 and scored two runs as San Diego rolled to a 5-3 victory.

"It was fun, and it was a lot more fun not just because we won the series, but because we got to sweep these guys," Maybin said. "I was able to make some plays, score some runs and drive in some guys."

Jesus Guzman slugged a two-run double, while Jason Bartlett notched a pair of hits, an RBI and also scored twice for the Padres, who have taken four of five overall.

Dustin Moseley (3-9) worked six innings for the win, allowing five hits and three unearned runs with two strikeouts. Heath Bell recorded his 28th save with a flawless ninth.

The victory came at a cost, however, as second baseman Orlando Hudson was removed from the game on a stretcher in the bottom of the seventh inning after being knocked unconscious in a collision with the wall. He is questionable for tonight's affair.

Getting the call for the Padres tonight will be lefty Cory Luebke, who is 3-3 with a 2.57 ERA. Luebke won for the second time in three starts on Saturday against San Francisco, as he allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings.

This will be Luebke's first-ever start against the Phillies.

Philly swept a four-game set from the Padres earlier in the year and has beaten them seven straight times and in 13 of the last 15 meetings.