DETROIT — Cole Hamels turned in a solid outing against the top hitting team in the American League at Comerica Park on Friday night, but once again, it just wasn’t good enough.
Hamels allowed a pair of runs on six hits and three walks over seven innings only to get an unearned run in support in the Phillies’ 2-1 loss.
The loss extended the Phillies’ season-worst losing streak to six games. At 49-54, the Phillies risk falling nine games off the pace in the NL East and 10 games out in the wild-card chase.
Starting pitching report
Hamels dropped to 4-13 with the defeat. He threw 112 pitches (76 strikes) with 18 first-pitch strikes to the 29 hitters he faced. However, the Tigers scored a pair of runs on Hamels in the fifth inning with a one-out walk to Hernan Perez setting the table for back-to-back doubles from Ramon Santiago and Alex Avila.
Hamels’ 13 losses tie the Angels’ Joe Blanton for the most in the majors.
Tigers starter Doug Fister held the Phillies to three hits in eight innings with two of those hits coming in the third inning. Before walking Michael Young with one out in the eighth, Fister had retired 12 in a row.
Bullpen report
Luis Garcia faced three hitters in the eighth in relief of Hamels.
Tigers closer Joaquin Benoit nailed down his 10th save.
At the plate
The Phillies had five base runners, scoring their only run when John Mayberry Jr. reached on an error by second baseman Perez. Michael Young reached base twice, singling home a run in the third.
The Phillies went 1 for 3 with runners in scoring position against the Tigers. In the last six games, the Phillies are 5 for 37 (.135) with runners in scoring position.
An early scratch
During the early going of Friday night’s game, the Phillies announced that Saturday night’s scheduled starter, Cliff Lee (10-4, 3.05), had been scratched from the game with a stiff neck (see story).
In his last two outings, Lee has allowed nine runs on 16 hits with seven of those hits going for homers. However, seeing as the scratch from the start comes with the trade deadline looming, it opens up plenty of speculation.
Up next
So without Lee to pitch on Saturday night against All-Star Max Scherzer (14-1, 3.14), manager Charlie Manuel will give the ball to lefty Raul Valdes (1-0, 7.59).
Valdes has appeared in 11 games this season without a start. He was 3-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 12 starts for Triple A Lehigh Valley this season. Valdes has never faced the Tigers during his career.
Scherzer faced the Phillies in his second career start for Arizona in 2008. The Phillies roughed him up for five runs on eight hits in four innings in an 11-4 victory on May 5 of that year.