Cole Hamels was on the mound Friday night the the Phillies. But what Pete Mackanin watched with shock was not Cole Hamels.
The Hamels that allowed nine runs on 12 hits in a season-low 3 1/3 innings is foreign to him. And Mackanin believes the performance was directly related to the trade rumors swirling around the left-hander.
"I can't remember a time where I've seen him pitch like that," he told CSNPhilly.com. "There's a lot going on and it affected him. But I know he's much better than that. Who knows, he might be pressing knowing that the trading deadline is coming around."
It's also not easy pitching for the worst team in baseball. Garbage team has come early for the Phillies.
"It's not a year that you can ever prepare for," Hamels said. "No amount of experience can put you into that sort of situation. My job is to be able to go throw the baseball and do it as as best I possible can, the the way I know I'm capable of doing."
A game in which he certainly didn't throw the baseball up to that capability sent his ERA soaring from 3.02 to 3.63.