| SEASON | CAREER |
| W1 | 3 |
| L8 | 9 |
| G17 | 21 |
| IP76.2 | 95.0 |
| BB33 | 38 |
| SO63 | 76 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W1 | 1 |
| L1 | 1 |
| G2 | 2 |
| IP13.0 | 13.0 |
| BB2 | 2 |
| SO14 | 14 |
For the past three weeks, the Philadelphia Phillies have been playing like the team many expected to challenge for a World Series title.
Cole Hamels has been producing those types of efforts all year, especially against the Colorado Rockies .
Hamels looks to win his fourth straight decision and tie his career high for wins as he tries to beat the visiting Rockies for the third time this season in the opener of a day-night doubleheader Sunday.
It has obviously been a disappointing year for the talent-laden Phillies, who will see their five-year reign atop the NL East end. Philadelphia (67-71) is also in danger of finishing under .500 for the first time since going 80-81 in 2002.
A rare bright spot has been Hamels (14-6, 3.04 ERA), who was scheduled to start Saturday night before the game was postponed due to rain. He is the only pitcher with double-digit wins on a Phillies team with former Cy Young Award winners Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in its starting rotation.
Hamels has clearly been the best among the three, and he earned a six-year contract worth $144 million in late July. While he's gone just 3-2 in seven starts since signing that deal, he has a 2.54 ERA over that span.
Hamels has been even better over his past five outings, going 3-0 with a 2.15 ERA and two complete games. He was in line to pick up another win Sunday after six solid innings, but the Phillies allowed Atlanta to rally for a five-run ninth in an 8-7 loss.
While it was a missed opportunity for Philadelphia and Hamels as they remain a longshot for a wild-card spot, the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP said the Phillies put themselves in a hole a long time ago.
"I think losing six and seven in a row was way worse," Hamels said. "That's where your chances are, not one game."
The Phillies, though, have been playing better. Friday's win was their 13th in 19 games and have a chance to be three games under .500 for the first time since they were 31-34 on June 14
"That's kind of the way it goes," manager Charlie Manuel said. "I guess we have to keep at them. If I had my way, we never would've been under .500."
Hamels won a career-best 15 games in 2007, and he seems to have a pretty good chance to match that total against the last-place Rockies (56-81), who have lost three straight and four of five on their seven-game trip.
The left-hander has gone eight innings in winning each of his two starts versus Colorado this season, giving up three runs and striking out 14. He's 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four starts against the Rockies after going 0-3 with an 8.22 ERA in his first three matchups, with two of them coming in the postseason.
Colorado's Tyler Chatwood (4-4, 5.53) will be facing the Phillies for the first time as he makes his eighth start. The right-hander had a 7.62 ERA in seven relief appearances spanning two stints with the Rockies before being recalled Aug. 5 and put into the rotation.
He is 3-3 with a 4.60 ERA as a starter and has struggled with his command, walking 18 over 29 1-3 innings. A career high-tying five of them came in three innings Monday in a 6-1 loss to the Braves.
The Rockies will start Drew Pomeranz in the nightcap Sunday.
Pomeranz (1-8, 4.93), whose only win came July 6 versus Washington, allowed five hits in three innings while throwing 72 pitches in Colorado's 6-0 win over Atlanta on Tuesday.
The left-hander allowed five runs in five innings of a 5-1 loss to the Phillies on July 15 in his only career start against them.
Philadelphia will counter with rookie Tyler Cloyd (1-1, 2.77), who earned his first major league win Monday after allowing one run in seven innings of a 4-2 victory over Cincinnati in his second career start.
Philadelphia is 27-7 against Colorado since the start of the 2008 season, including winning a 2009 NL division series in four games.
AVG
HRRUNSSBSOBBOBPSLGOPS Colorado Rockies |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| August 22, 2012 | Dexter Fowler | Day-to-Day | Left game - right ankle injury |
| August 20, 2012 | Eric Young | 15-Day DL | Left intercostal strain |
| August 19, 2012 | Josh Rutledge | Day-to-Day | Left game - left quad tightness |
| August 19, 2012 | Michael Cuddyer | 15-Day DL | Right oblique strain |
| August 14, 2012 | Drew Pomeranz | Day-to-Day | Chest soreness |
| August 06, 2012 | Edgmer Escalona | 15-Day DL | Right elbow inflammation |
 Philadelphia Phillies |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| September 05, 2012 | Placido Polanco | 15-Day DL | Lower back inflammation |
| August 29, 2012 | Cole Hamels | Day-to-Day | Gastrointestinal illness |
| August 29, 2012 | Vance Worley | 15-Day DL | Loose bodies in right elbow |
| August 28, 2012 | Domonic Brown | Day-to-Day | Left game - left knee soreness |
| August 24, 2012 | Brian Schneider | 15-Day DL | Strained left hamstring |
| August 13, 2012 | Nate Schierholtz | 15-Day DL | Fractured right big toe |
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Hold on, Phillies fans. The NL wild-card race isn't over yet.
One of baseball's biggest busts at the All-Star break, Philadelphia has won 12 of 16 games to move into playoff contention.
A long shot, but a shot.
Ryan Howard drove in two runs and seven pitchers combined to help the Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies 7-4 on Sunday night and complete a doubleheader sweep.
John Mayberry Jr. hit an RBI single in the ninth inning of the first game to lift the Phillies to a 3-2 win.
The Phillies trailed 4-1 in the second game before scoring two runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings for their fourth straight win. They have forced their way into the NL wild-card race and play their next seven games against cellar dwellers Miami and Houston.
Ty Wigginton hit the tying homer for the Phillies in the sixth and helped move them within six games of a wild-card spot. The Phillies (69-71) would like to hit .500 first.
"I know they're not going to pack it in," manager Charlie Manuel said.
Jonathan Papelbon won the opener and tossed a scoreless ninth for his 32nd save in the second game. He also earned the win Friday night to help the Phillies complete a three-game sweep.
B.J. Rosenberg (1-2) struck out two in a scoreless sixth for the win. Six Phillies relievers tossed one-hit ball over five shutout innings.
Josh Roenicke (4-2) took the loss. The Rockies followed Wilin Rosario 's four passed balls in Game 1 with five errors in the nightcap. The Rockies only allowed three earned runs in the second game.
Chris Nelson hit a three-run homer for the Rockies, who have lost five straight games.
"You can't make five errors in a game or you're going to lose," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.
Howard, who left two runners stranded when he fouled out to end the third, delivered in the fifth. He lined a shot to right that scored two to make it 4-3, but he was thrown out at second for the third out.
If Howard didn't get thrown out, Wigginton doesn't lead off the sixth against Roenicke with his 11th homer of the season to make it 4-4.
Those are the kinds of breaks the Phillies are getting during their sensational second-half turnaround.
"I think we're finally getting some breaks, where I don't think we got a single break the first 80, 90 games of the season," Papelbon said.
Kevin Frandsen put the Phillies ahead with a pinch-hit single in the sixth.
Howard and Chase Utley are healthy after missing the first half with injuries. All-Star catcher Carlos Ruiz is back, too, after missing the last month with a foot injury.
Ruiz returned to pinch hit in the sixth as the familiar sound of "Choooooch" filled the Philadelphia night. He singled, stayed in the game, and had an RBI single in the seventh. Nate Schierholtz added a run-scoring single to make it 7-4.
Tyler Cloyd , Philadelphia's minor league pitcher of the year, struck out three and walked one in four innings.
Neither starter lasted past the fourth.
Colorado's Drew Pomeranz was pulled after throwing 77 pitches through four innings. He allowed a run, walked one and struck out three.
Wigginton led off the second with a double and scored on Michael Martinez 's double.
The Rockies scored four runs in the third on Ramon Hernandez 's RBI single and Nelson's three-run shot to the left field seats.
Nelson knew it was gone the moment he connected off Cloyd and followed the arc all the way into the stands.
The Rockies simply couldn't handle the baseball. Shortstop Jonathan Herrera and third baseman Chris Nelson each made two errors and first baseman Jordan Pacheco committed the fifth error when he mishandled a grounder in the seventh.
In the opener, Mayberry hit a bases-loaded single against Matt Belisle (3-6) for the win. Rockies left fielder Carlos Gonzalez sprinted toward Mayberry's low liner and appeared to make a diving catch, but the ball popped out when his glove hit the ground. There was brief confusion before the umpire ruled it was a hit.
Papelbon (5-6) picked up the win with a scoreless ninth.
"You can kind of sense the crowd's excitement, coming down the stretch of games with a chance to win," Mayberry said. "I don't think anybody in this clubhouse has written ourselves off."
Rosario had two of his four passed balls in the ninth. He also had a passed ball in the eighth and the third.
The major league record for passed balls is 12 by Alex Gardner of the 1884 Washington Nationals of the American Association, according to STATS LLC. The modern-day mark is six passed balls and is shared by Rube Vickers of the Reds on Oct. 4, 1902; Geno Petralli of the Rangers on Aug. 30, 1987; and Jerry Goff of the Astros on May 12, 1996.
"We know the progress he is making, but the ball made its way to the backstop too much," Tracy said. "That really changed things around."
Notes: The Phillies will select the contract of slugging 1B/OF prospect Darin Ruf from Double-A Reading on Monday. RHP Mike Stutes will move to 60-day disabled list to make room on 40-man roster. ... The Phillies and Rockies played a doubleheader against each other for the first time since 1999. ... Colorado rookie 1B Matt McBride , who grew up 45 minutes north of Philadelphia in Bethlehem, Pa., got the start in the opener.
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Colorado Rockies