Saturday, August 24, 2013

2014 Chachi Preview #2 Cole Hamels

Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 3
Game 128 - Friday Night, August 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 58-70, 4th Place, 19 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies walked off for the third night in a row, this time on a bases loaded walk to Chase Utley to give them the 4-3 win.

What It Means:  Everything is clicking for the Phillies . . . just a few months too late.  The Phils have now won three in a row, and five of their last six games.  There's been clutch hitting, good defense, solid starting pitching and reliable relief work.  Makes me anxious for the 2014 season!

What Went Right:  Pinch-hitter Cody Asche and Jimmy Rollins led off the ninth with back-to-back singles.  After Michael Young walked, Utley came to the plate and drew a six-pitch walk to force in the winning run.  Carlos Ruiz had a huge two-run double in the sixth to tie up the score at three a piece.  Darin Ruf started the scoring with his 10th home run in the second inning.

Featured Card:  It was 1990s Retro Night at the ballpark, and both teams wore throw-back uniforms from the decade.  In reality, the two teams never actually played each other in the past wearing these sets of uniforms.  The Phillies wore uniforms from the earlier part of the '90s, while the Diamondbacks represented the latter part of the '90s.

Cole Hamels pitched well again, and once again came away with a no-decision.  He has reclaimed the staff ace mantle, as he has a 2.74 ERA in his last 15 starts, but just four wins to show for his efforts.  This is the second 2014 Chachi Preview card to see the light of day, and I thought the 1988 Topps design looked particularly good with the old maroon uniforms.

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