The news that Cole Hamels likely would not be ready to pitch on opening day could be viewed as a bad omen. But from the way Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg and pitching coach Bob McClure explain it, Hamels’ problems are minor.
“After seeing him throw on the field the other day, I have no concerns,” McClure said Wednesday on Comcast SportsNet. “He looks good. He looks ready to go and he’s in a good frame of mind. When I watch him throw he looks healthy, he’s just a little bit behind with some biceps tendonitis that takes a little bit of time to clear up, but he’ll be fine.”
Sandberg echoed McClure’s comments about Hamels. If there was a concern, the manager said it was because Hamels lost some weight while battling the flu this winter.
The flu and the tendinitis have Hamels playing some catch up, Sandberg said.
“He’s a little bit behind, but he also had a little bit of the flu that knocked him down about 15 pounds,” Sandberg said. “He’s working on getting his strength back and all in all, he has time on his side with six or six-and-a-half weeks of spring training. He’s definitely someone we’re going to monitor, and coming from his mouth, he’s not too worried about it. And as I said, time is definitely on his side.”
Of course Hamels had a setback during spring training before. After the World Series victory in 2008, Hamels had some elbow soreness and departed Clearwater to have things checked out in Philadelphia.
Though 2009 was Hamels’ worst season, he still pitched 212 2/3 innings in 36 starts, including the postseason.
MLB
Worried? Not Hamels or the Phillies.