Cole Hamels made his first start tonight since signing his six-year contract extension. He's coming off a loss against the Giants in which he allowed five runs on ten hits. This wouldn't be a much better start in Atlanta.
The Phillies scored first off of Ben Sheets. Sheets has made two starts this season for the Braves, and he did not allow a run to score in those starts. He got off to a rough start allowing a leadoff single to Jimmy Rollins and an RBI double to Shane Victorino.
I'm not quite sure what happened in the second inning. Chipper Jones doubled to straightaway center, then was picked off second. Freddie Freeman walked, Brian McCann walked, and Paul Janish walked. Ben Sheets slapped a grounder to Mike Fontenot, who bobbled it and let it roll between his legs. A run scores. Then, Michael Bourn smacked one past Fontenot, bringing home another run. 2-1 Atlanta.
It remained 2-1 until the fifth when Brian McCann (Phillies killer) homered to score Jason Heyward and Chipper Jones. 5-1 Braves.
Hamels would be done after five innings with what was one of the weirdest starts in his career. His line (read at your own risk): 5 IP, 4 H, 5 R (3 ER) 6 BB, 7 K. 109 pitches, 53 for strikes. Cole has never walked six batters in a start before tonight, and he threw more balls than strikes for the first time when throwing 100 or more pitches.
In two innings, Jeremy Horst allowed one run, an RBI single from Martin Prado to score Michael Bourn. Joe Savery pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth, keeping it a 6-1 ballgame.
The Phillies did not comeback to win this one, sadly. They take the loss in the first game of this weekend series in Atlanta.
Tomorrow night at 7:10, it will be Joe Blanton v. Mike Minor.
