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Nationals-Phillies Preview

Apr 28, 2009 - 4:45 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Washington (4-13) at Philadelphia (9-8), 7:05 p.m. EDT

The rocky beginning to Cole Hamels' season got a little bit worse in his latest start, when he took a line drive off his left shoulder and was forced to leave yet another Philadelphia Phillies loss.

The reigning World Series MVP won't miss a start, though, and considering his next opponent, he certainly doesn't want to.

Hamels has owned the Washington Nationals recently, a trend he'll hope to continue Tuesday night when the Phillies continue their three-game set with the visiting Nationals trying to extend their winning streak to five.

Hamels (0-2, 9.69 ERA) experienced some tightness in his left elbow in spring training, just five months after he led the Phillies (10-8) to their first World Series title in 28 years. Though no damage was found, the left-hander hasn't looked 100 percent on the mound.

After giving up 12 runs and 19 hits over 9 2-3 innings in his first two starts, another injury forced Hamels to leave his latest outing early. He retired nine of the first 11 Milwaukee batters he faced on Thursday, but gave up a two-run homer to Ryan Braun and then had to exit after Prince Fielder's line drive caught Hamels in his shoulder.

Hamels, who was tagged with his second loss after giving up two runs in 3 1-3 innings, struck out six and felt like he was locating his pitches better.

"It's frustrating, because I've really worked hard to really bear down to be able to locate and throw strikes and put them away," Hamels told the team's official Web site. "And I feel like I was really getting on a good pace and pitching the way I know I'm capable of doing."

The Nationals (4-14) are certainly aware of how well Hamels is capable of pitching. He's 3-1 with a 0.43 ERA in his last six starts against Washington dating to Aug. 16, 2007, and he's struck out 48 batters in 42 innings.

The Nationals will come into Tuesday off their best offensive output of the season, but as a microcosm of how bleak things have been for baseball's worst team, even that wasn't enough to win their series opener in Philadelphia.

Ryan Zimmerman clubbed two homers and Washington brought a four-run lead into the eighth inning, but Raul Ibanez's grand slam - the Phillies' second of the game - capped a six-run eighth and a wild 13-11 comeback victory.

"This is a very resilient club," Ibanez said. "I can't remember ever being a part of a team that could (come back so often), especially late like that, but they were doing that long before I got here. I'm not going to try and figure it out. I'm just going to try and be a part of it."

Ibanez, who signed with the Phillies as a free agent, has been a revelation for a Philadelphia lineup that got little left-handed production from anyone other than Ryan Howard last season. He's hitting .342 with a team-high six homers and 16 RBIs, and has eight multihit games.

Ibanez has never faced John Lannan (0-2, 4.43), who will start for the Nationals, but other Phillies have had success against the left-hander. Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley are a combined 14-for-34 (.412) with two homers and eight RBIs.

Lannan is 0-3 with a 6.43 ERA in four career starts against the Phillies.

The 24-year-old has gotten better in each of his past three starts after an ugly outing on opening day. He scattered five hits over seven innings on Wednesday against Atlanta, but didn't get a decision in the Nationals' 1-0 loss.