Thursday, August 29, 2013

2013 Topps Allen & Ginter #332 Cole Hamels

Phillies 6, Mets 2
Game 133 - Wednesday Night, August 28th in Flushing
Record - 61-72, 3rd Place, 19 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels turned in another solid outing as the Phillies downed the Mets, 6-2.

What It Means:  Hamels' performance after a rocky start to the season gives us reason to hope for a successful 2014.  In his last 11 starts, he's 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA.

What Went Right:  Hamels pitched seven innings, allowing two runs while striking out eight.  His biggest challenge was waiting on the bench between innings while Mets starter Daisuke Matsuzaka worked at a snail's pace on the mound.  Dice-K was mercifully pulled in the fifth inning after allowing four runs and throwing 110 pitches.  Hamels also helped himself at the plate with a two-run single in the fifth.

Featured Card:  My daily blog reading is still inundated with images of this year's Allen & Ginter release . . . and I think that's a good thing.  Any set that can generate this much dialogue in our hobby is a positive in my book, although I still haven't embraced the Ginter product as much as other collectors have.  This Hamels card is one of two short-printed Phillies found in this year's set, with John Kruk being the other one.

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