Bob Ford: Hamels takes his bad day in stride

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, July, 2008 | by Bob Ford Inquirer Columnist

Just like mama, Cole Hamels said there would be days like this. There would be days when the ball feels wrong, when your mind-set isn't locked in, days when that delicate balance between the mental and physical is see-sawing out of control. Days when trying to throw a baseball past major-league hitters is just as difficult as it is supposed to be.

Hamels, who is so good so often, gave up just one hit in the first three innings against the Braves yesterday and then got knocked around for nine runs in an endless, free-falling fourth. A couple of errors, including one by Hamels, didn't help any and pushed most of the runs into the unearned column. Nevertheless, the rotation's stopper, the number-one pitcher, the ace, was awful. For a team already walking the narrow ledge of...