Charlie Manuel Enters the Wall of Fame; Cole Hamels Looks to Further Streak

Photo: Philliedelphia/Andrew Gillen

Last night, it was Roy Halladay being honored in front of the same crowd he once pitched in front of in the playoffs. Tonight, it will be the man who led the 2008 team to a World Championship, Charlie Manuel, who will get the standing ovation. Manuel will become the 36th member of the Phillies Ashburn Alley Memorial for past members of the organization that had a major impact on the team itself. It has become a tradition to hold "Alumni Weekend" in August to celebrate the history of Philadelphia baseball, and with the ten year anniversary of Citizens Bank Park this season, it could be the biggest gathering yet. As far as the game itself goes, Ryne Sandberg will be sending out a future member of the Wall of Fame, Cole Hamels, to take the mound. A familiar face, Dillon Gee, will make his third start against the Phillies this year.

While he has been dominant against the New York Mets all year, Cole Hamels is having one of his best seasons ever. And, for the second time this season, Hamels is on a rather impressive streak of games. As he did between June 1st and June 16th, the lefty has gone four straight starts with at least seven innings pitched and one or fewer runs allowed. In his first stretch, Hamels surrendered just one earned run and collected 32 strikeouts. This time around, he's given up two earned runs and 33 strikeouts. The lefty has also only given up two earned runs in his last 22 innings against the Mets. Therefore, there is a very good chance his streak continues.

Just like he was back on July 29th, Dillon Gee will be Hamels' opponent. With this being his third start against the Phillies in 2014, Gee has a good idea of what to expect. He's had two decent starts already, one a six inning, three run game, the other, a near seven inning, five run performance. Unfortunately for the Mets, Gee has not been as reliable in his last four starts as he was earlier this season. He's allowed seventeen total runs in his last four games, after recording three scoreless outings earlier in the season. Gee had two runs allowed, six strikeouts, and three walks in a 5.2 inning game against the San Francisco Giants in his last outing.

Game Notes

• The Phillies are just 4-9 against their division foe out of New York this season. Cole Hamels, despite his dominance, has started in just one of those wins.
• Originally drafted by the Phillies in 2007, Travis d'Arnaud has been hitting the ball well in his last four games against his former club. d'Arnaud is 6 for his last 16 with two home runs and four doubles.
• After he was claimed by the Chicago Cubs on waivers, Cole Hamels was pulled back by the Phillies yesterday. Despite the slight chance of a trade, e Phillies could not find the right deal to send their prized lefty to the Windy City.

Phillies Lineup

1. Ben Revere CF
2. Jimmy Rollins SS
3. Chase Utley 2B
4. Ryan Howard 1B
5. Marlon Byrd RF
6. Domonic Brown LF
7. Carlos Ruiz C
8. Cody Asche 3B
9. Cole Hamels P

Mets Lineup

1. Curtis Granderson CF
2. Daniel Murphy 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. Eric Campbell LF
5. Lucas Duda 1B
6. Travis d'Arnaud C
7. Juan Lagares CF
8. Wilmer Flores SS
9. Dillon Gee P

Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Weather: 81° F – Partly Cloudy – 0% PoP
Game Time: 7:05 PM Eastern

Andrew Gillen, Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com