Phillies turn to Hamels in matchup with Padres
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(SportsNetwork.com) - San Diego native Cole Hamels will try to play stopper when the Philadelphia Phillies resume a four-game series with the Padres Wednesday at Petco Park.
The Phillies have lost three in a row and seven of their last 10 games, and hope Hamels will pitch them to victory. They are 5-1 in Hamels' last six starts and the 2008 World Series MVP impressed in last Friday's 3-1 win over Miami, as Hamels delivered seven innings of one-run ball and six strikeouts to improve to 8-7 with a 2.51 earned run average
Hamels hasn't given up more than three runs since May 27 versus Colorado. The left-hander is 5-5 in 14 road starts and 8-2 with a 2.21 ERA in 15 career starts against the Padres. Hamels had 11 K's and threw eight scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over San Diego on June 11 in south Philly.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hamels has made seven career starts at Petco Park, going 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA.
Petco Park hasn't been friendly on the Phillies the last two games and the club suffered a 5-4 loss Tuesday night. Freddy Galvis hit a two-run homer and Domonic Brown went deep in the loss.
A.J. Burnett continued to struggle on the mound and the first-year Phillie was reached for five runs (4 earned) and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Burnett's future with the Phillies is uncertain.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I haven't been me all year," Burnett said. "A handful of times. We'll discuss that when we need to. But I pitched the best I could."
The Phillies still have Oakland and Miami to visit on this journey and hope to get shortstop Jimmy Rollins back soon. Rollins has been dealing with a hamstring issue and is batting .243 with 17 homers and 55 RBI.
San Diego goes for a series victory over the Phillies and Ian Kennedy set the club up with six innings of three-run ball last night. He struck out seven, walked four and scattered three hits.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I felt better than what the line score looked liked," Kennedy said.
Alexi Amarista was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer during a key three-run sixth inning and Rymer Liriano added three hits for the Padres, who won Monday's opener by a 1-0 score and are an MLB-best 30-19 in one-run games.
The Friars will also host San Francisco and Colorado on their final homestand of the season (10 games).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Eric Stults draws the start for San Diego Wednesday and the left-hander has just a 7-16 mark to go along with a 4.49 ERA in 29 appearances. Stults ended a personal three-start losing streak in Friday's 6-5 win at Arizona and permitted five runs -- two earned -- in six innings.
Stults is 4-3 in his previous seven decisions and 4-6 in 12 starts at Petco Park. He has faced Philadelphia four times (3 starts) in his career, going 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA. Stults lost to the Phillies on June 12, when was touched for four runs and eight hits in five innings of a 7-3 loss.
The Phillies swept that three-game June series versus the Padres. The Phils are 26-9 all-time at Petco Park.