Cole Hamels must treat every start with the Philadelphia Phillies like it is his last. The pitcher has been the center piece of a number of trade rumors surrounding the team as many are shocked he is still on the team to begin with. Hamels is simply continuing as normal which means facing off against the Washington Nationals and Stephen Strasburg.
Hamels is pitching some of his best stuff right now as he remains 4-3 with a 3.24 ERA on the season. He is 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA in his last six starts after a rough beginning to the season. He went on to have three straight wins with a 1.69 ERA to help his case. The pitcher is coming off a one run game through seven innings on Monday.
Many are shocked Hamels is still on the Philly roster. The pitcher has been linked to several teams including the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees. So far there have not been any jumps in trades, but with the deadline approaching Hamels is expected to be gone in the near future. Preparing to pitch against Washington, Hamels is 0-3 with a 3.35 ERA in six starts against the team.
"He's just focused on the task at hand, the challenge on the field of getting hitters out and winning," pitching coach Bob McClure told MLB's official website. "He's so competitive. He just wants the ball every fifth day and wants to win."
Strasburg will take the mound to counter Hamels. The pitcher is 3-4 with a 5.98 ERA on the season. He is 5-0 with a 1.02 ERA against the Phillies, but has certainly struggled this year. Meanwhile the Nationals bats are bailing him out, especially Bryce Harper. The team is batting .299 while averaging 6.3 runs in those 22 games. Harper has 11 home runs in 14 games, but only has three hits in 15 at-bats against Hamels.
