Hamels Plays Cards Perfectly

Since '02 in MLB, every team that won game 3 in a 5-game playoff series went on to win that series. So, in order for the Phils to advance to their 4th-consecutive NLCS, it was likely Cole Hamels was going to have to take command-- and keep it.

He did just that. Looking like the Hamels of '08, not the Hamels of '09, the southpaw dug deep, showing inner strength and outer mastery, silencing all base-runners and echoing his dominance of the team's title-run 3 years ago.

Like Lee's '11 postseason debut, Hamels picked up right where his '10 left off. Only Hamels' was a trail of triumph. In the '10 postseason, Hamels posted a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings, allowing just 2 earned runs, S.O. 17, while walking 1.

Tuesday in St. Louis was vintage Hamels, and it couldn't have come at a better time. It was the Cards 1st home game of this postseason. The St. Louis crowd welcomed its beloved team that had stunned Cliff Lee by stealing a 5-4 comeback win in Philly in game 2 to even their playoff series at a game apiece. Resilience was nothing new for the NL Wild Card team that was 8 1/2 games back a month before securing the final playoff spot on the season's last day.

Hamels, however, showed a calm resilience of his own. He allowed no runs through 6 innings. He painted himself into corners, but time and again pitched out of them with careful placement of his fastball and curveball:

"I was just trying to make good pitches and keep them down, and if I missed I knew I'd get another opportunity," he said. "That's where I was. If you make mistakes up in the zone, you're usually going to pay for it pretty badly. If you keep it down you have a better chance to get out of the inning."

Hamels allowed 5 hits and walked 3, but struck out 8 and never lost his trademark cool.

"He keeps his cool whether some people realize it or not," manager Charlie Manuel said. "And he's gutty, and he's been gutty ever since I've known him. I've always liked him because of his mental toughness, even when I saw him at Lakewood. I like him out there in any situation."

Hamels faced runners in scoring position 5 separate times throughout the contest and never let the ball leave the infield during those showdowns.

In some of the most stressful moments of the game, Hamels showed a veteran's poise by stepping off the mound, taking a deep breath and gathering his thoughts.

"It was a tight game," Hamels said. "I knew every pitch mattered. Every inning mattered. They had a great pitcher on the opposing team and I knew I couldn't let it get out of hand, especially because we were 1-1 in the series. We're not in our home park any more. You definitely focus and try to dig deep a little bit more. So I think that was me just kind of psyching myself up again. You can be your worst enemy, I guess. I understand how to pitch. I know how to go out and succeed, but at the same time this game can really get after you and you have to really dig deep and put things in a different perspective because if you get out of your element you're going to really get hurt."

Ryan Howard looked remarkably 'out of his element.'

In the 6th inning, with Chase Utley on 2nd base, 2 out and the game knotted at zero, the Cardinals disrespected St. Louis native Howard. Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia, who shut the Phillies out for 6 innings, intentionally walked Hunter Pence in order to bring Howard to the plate. Howard had looked bad, striking out in his previous 2 at-bats, and he promptly grounded out to end the inning, making Cards' manager Tony La Russa look good.

The move that made La Russa look bad, however, the one that will keep him up at night, was also an intentional walk. It was to Carlos Ruiz with 2-out in the 7th, and it set up a pinch-hit 3-run HR by Ben Fransisco, which accounted for all of the Phillies runs in the game they won 3-2.

“Well, it didn’t work, so that’s bad managing,” La Russa said. “I’m watching him pitch and was really pleased. I thought he was the guy to continue pitching and I knew the match-ups were in our favor. It didn’t work.”

“That wasn’t my idea,” Garcia said. “That’s what [La Russa] wanted to do, and that’s what we did.”

Fransisco, who hadn't hit a HR since May 25th, had a disappointing year after a torrid spring training promised more than it became. However, with one swing of the bat, Fransisco joined the ranks of Philly sports folk heroes like Matt Stairs.

“All that matters is we’re here today and whatever you do today is going to pretty much define you,” Francisco said. “Charlie put me up there, and I got a big hit.”

Fransisco was 1-for-18 in the postseason and batted .244 for the year, but Manuel gave him the chance, and he made it memorable.

“I didn’t know it was a homer, I knew I hit it good,” Francisco said. “I saw it bounce over the fence and just... pure excitement, pure joy.”

Wednesday in St. Louis, the Phils will try to close out the best-of-five series with a win. Roy Oswalt will take the mound. If they can't win Wednesday, the series will return to Philadelphia on Friday, where they'd have another chance to win 1 and advance.

“We have 2 Roys going for us, if we need to get to that 2nd one, and you have to feel pretty good about your chances when that’s the case,” reliever Brad Lidge said, referring to Oswalt and 2-time Cy Young Halladay, who is 20-6 (including the playoffs) this year and is scheduled to start Friday, if necessary.

Note:

Jimmy Rollins had another 2 hits Tuesday and is now 7-for-12 with 3 doubles in the series.

Next up:

6:07 PM ET, Wednesday, October 5th at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri

PHI: Roy Oswalt (9-10, 3.69 ERA) @ STL: Edwin Jackson (12-9, 3.79 ERA)

Oswalt is 5-0 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 career postseason starts, including 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA in 3 of those vs. the Cardinals.

Albert Pujols, possibly entering his last game in a St. Louis uniform with free agency lurking, has hit .316 (30 for 95) with 7 HR in his career vs. Oswalt.