Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels continues to make progress in his recovery from left shoulder discomfort, and could face live hitters in a week.
Hamels tossed his second bullpen session without issue Saturday, and is progressing nicely. Assuming he avoids a setback, he told MLB.com he expects to throw a live batting practice session next week.
"Everything felt really good," Hamels said. "My pitches are really coming along. I'm really able to execute down in the zone. I know that's something Bob [McClure, pitching coach] preaches to everybody. I know I'm pretty good at doing that, so to get into my second bullpen and execute down in the zone, correct pitches within a pitch, having the control, it feels great."