Cole Hamels Won’t Start Phillies Opener
March 30, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Baseball
Cole Hamels, the unquestioned ace of the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff, won’t pitch the season opener due to an ongoing elbow issue. However, with his elbow improving, the Phillies are hopeful that the 25-year-old Hamels will be ready to pitch within the next two weeks.
Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies (Image: Newscom)
Last season, Hamels was 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA as the Phillies won the 2008 World Series championship. The left-hander was 4-0 in the playoffs with a 1.80 ERA. In 35 postseason innings, Hamels had 30 strikeouts while only giving up 23 hits.
In the middle of March, the Phillies opted to give Hamels an anti-inflammatory shot in an attempt to reduce the swelling in and around his elbow. Over the last week, he has started to show improvement. Earlier in the spring, his fastball was in the low 80s. In a recent start, his fastball nearly hit 90 on the radar gun.
For the Phillies to win another World Series title in 2009, they will definitely need Hamels healthy and carrying the load down the stretch of the season. Although they have a number of good bats, Hamels is the team’s only elite starting pitcher.
