Phillies 5 - 2 Padres
Final
  for this game

Phillies turn to Hamels in matchup with Padres

Sep 17, 2014 - 3:23 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - San Diego native Cole Hamels will try to play stopper when the Philadelphia Phillies resume a four-game series with the Padres Wednesday at Petco Park.

The Phillies have lost three in a row and seven of their last 10 games, and hope Hamels will pitch them to victory. They are 5-1 in Hamels' last six starts and the 2008 World Series MVP impressed in last Friday's 3-1 win over Miami, as Hamels delivered seven innings of one-run ball and six strikeouts to improve to 8-7 with a 2.51 earned run average

Hamels hasn't given up more than three runs since May 27 versus Colorado. The left-hander is 5-5 in 14 road starts and 8-2 with a 2.21 ERA in 15 career starts against the Padres. Hamels had 11 K's and threw eight scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over San Diego on June 11 in south Philly.

Hamels has made seven career starts at Petco Park, going 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA.

Petco Park hasn't been friendly on the Phillies the last two games and the club suffered a 5-4 loss Tuesday night. Freddy Galvis hit a two-run homer and Domonic Brown went deep in the loss.

A.J. Burnett continued to struggle on the mound and the first-year Phillie was reached for five runs (4 earned) and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Burnett's future with the Phillies is uncertain.

"I haven't been me all year," Burnett said. "A handful of times. We'll discuss that when we need to. But I pitched the best I could."

The Phillies still have Oakland and Miami to visit on this journey and hope to get shortstop Jimmy Rollins back soon. Rollins has been dealing with a hamstring issue and is batting .243 with 17 homers and 55 RBI.

San Diego goes for a series victory over the Phillies and Ian Kennedy set the club up with six innings of three-run ball last night. He struck out seven, walked four and scattered three hits.

"I felt better than what the line score looked liked," Kennedy said.

Alexi Amarista was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer during a key three-run sixth inning and Rymer Liriano added three hits for the Padres, who won Monday's opener by a 1-0 score and are an MLB-best 30-19 in one-run games.

The Friars will also host San Francisco and Colorado on their final homestand of the season (10 games).

Eric Stults draws the start for San Diego Wednesday and the left-hander has just a 7-16 mark to go along with a 4.49 ERA in 29 appearances. Stults ended a personal three-start losing streak in Friday's 6-5 win at Arizona and permitted five runs -- two earned -- in six innings.

Stults is 4-3 in his previous seven decisions and 4-6 in 12 starts at Petco Park. He has faced Philadelphia four times (3 starts) in his career, going 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA. Stults lost to the Phillies on June 12, when was touched for four runs and eight hits in five innings of a 7-3 loss.

The Phillies swept that three-game June series versus the Padres. The Phils are 26-9 all-time at Petco Park.






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