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MLB

Hamels Earns Manuel's Trust for Possible Game 7

Posted Nov 03, 2009 7:08PM By Jeff Fletcher (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Phillies, Yankees, World Series

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Cole HamelsNEW YORK -- Cole Hamels may still have to fight a public perception that he's not ready to pitch a possible Game 7 of the World Series, but his manager apparently has no qualms about giving him the ball.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel isn't saying whether Hamels would pitch that game, but he said on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium that he is convinced that the flap over a Hamels comment following Game 3 was overblown or misunderstood.

"He came in and talked to me [Monday] night, and we sat in there for 10 or 15 minutes and we talked about some of the things that were said, and I felt very good about it, really," Manuel said. "I know Hamels. I've been a Hamels guy ever since I seen him pitch in Lakewood and when I first came to work here. I never, ever -- I want you to listen to this -- never ever questioned his mental toughness because he's just as tough as anybody on our team."

Manuel isn't ready to say who would pitch Game 7, because the Phillies aren't there yet, but he didn't rule out Hamels.

"I'm not hesitant to pitch him no time, but we've got [Game 6] to play," Manuel said. "I'm not going to say who's going to pitch. Cole Hamels can pitch for me any time."

Manuel also said that the reported confrontation between Hamels and Brett Myers was misinterpreted.

"You say 'Manny being Manny, well that was 'Brett being Brett,' " Manuel said. "Brett likes to throw that jab at you, and sometimes it doesn't matter who's around. I think people when they hear that, sometimes they don't know how to take it. And I think that's what happened."

There was a report on Monday night that Hamels and Myers needed to be separated, but another reporter who witnessed the exchange said it was not heated. Myers on Tuesday apologized for the poor timing of his comment to Hamels.

The controversy began after Game 3, when Hamels said "I can't wait for the season to end. It's been mentally draining." Hamels explained after Game 5 that the comment was misinterpreted, and he still wanted to pitch, to redeem himself.

All of that said, there is still no guarantee that Hamels would get the ball in a potential Game 7, even though it would be his turn in the rotation.

Even if Hamels has the right attitude and mental toughness, his stuff still may be an issue. He has struggled with his curveball throughout the postseason. Often he's been able to get through the lineup once or twice, but then he hits a wall.

In Game 3 against the Yankees, Hamels didn't allow a hit through the first three innings, but then he gave up five runs without getting out of the fifth. He has a 7.58 ERA in four postseason starts this year, a performance that has come after a disappointing 10-11, 4.32 record in the regular season.

The general consensus, which includes Hamels, is that last year's heavy workload -- 262 innings, including MVP awards in the NLCS and World Series -- contributed to him doing too little work in the offseason. That caused him to start slowly, and created a cycle in which poor performance led to frustration, which led to more poor performances.

Tags: brett+myers, charlie+manuel, cole+hamels, phillies, yankees

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