MLB Trade Rumors: Texas Rangers Interested In Cole Hamels & Cliff Lee According To Report

The Texas Rangers are interested in trading for pitchers Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee according to a report from CBSSports.com

Phillies Trade Rumors: Blue Jays Inquire About Cole Hamels And Shane Victorino, According To Report

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Toronto Blue Jays have inquired about Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino. However; he qualified the news with the following:

No trade is close. No trade is even likely. And context is important:

• Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos routinely inquires on star players, just as he did last offseason when he talked to the Seattle Mariners about right-handers Felix Hernandez and Michael Pineda.
• The Phillies are not going to quit on the season easily, not when they already have sold more than 3 million tickets and assembled a $175 million payroll, second only to the New York Yankees.
• The Phillies can't give up on the season easily, not until they get a better sense of how second baseman Chase Utley (knee) and first baseman Ryan Howard (Achilles) will contribute when healthy.

The Jays are loaded with prospects, so they make an potentially interesting trade partner for the Phillies – if they choose to be sellers at this year's deadline.

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Nationals GM Fined For Comments About Phillies Pitcher Cole Hamels

After fining and suspending Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels for admitting that he was throwing at Washington Nationals rookie Bryce Harper, MLB has decided to fine Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo for his comments about Hamels (via CSN Philly).

Rizzo was fined an undisclosed amount. Hamels was also fined and undisclosed amount and suspended for five games.

Upon confirming that he had been fined, Rizzo said about Hamels' suspension:

"I think I've said probably enough about Cole Hamels. I'm going to stand by my statement and just move on." (via Adam Kilgore's Twitter)

Rizzo's statement, which got him into hot water with the league, was:

"I've never seen a more classless, gutless [expletive] act in my 30 years in baseball.

"Cole Hamels says he's old school? He's the polar opposite of old school. He's fake tough. He thinks he's going to intimidate us after hitting our 19-year-old rookie who's eight games into the big leagues? He doesn't know who he's dealing with."

"This goes beyond rivalry and all that stuff," Rizzo told the Post. "This points to, you take the youngest guy in baseball. He's never done a thing. And then Hamels patted himself on the back. Harper's old school. Hitting him on the back, that ain't old school. That's [expletive]." (via MLB)

For all your Philadelphia Phillies news and info, head to The Good Phight. If you're aNationals fan, check out Federal Baseball. If that's still not enough baseball, spend some time at Baseball Nation and check out SB Nation on YouTube.

Cole Hamels Suspended By MLB For 5 Games, Fined For Intentionally Throwing At Bryce Harper, Won't Appeal

Major League Baseball has suspended and fined Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels for five games for intentionally throwing at Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper during Sunday's game (via MLB). Harper took his base without incident and Hamels was plunked in the top of the third inning by Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann.

Unlike Zimermann, Hamels has admitted to intentionally throwing at Harper. Hamels said after the game:

"I was trying to hit him. I'm not going to deny it. It's something I grew up watching. That's what happened. I'm just trying to continue the old baseball. Some people get away from it. I remember when I was a rookie, the strike zone was really, really small and you didn't say anything. That's the way baseball is. Sometimes the league is protecting certain players. It's that old-school prestigious way of baseball." (via Matt Gelb)

Ruben Amaro, the Phillies general manager, says that Hamels will start the suspension immediately and will not appeal (via Howard Eskin's Twitter).

For all your Philadelphia Phillies news and info, head to The Good Phight. If you're a Nationals fan, check out Federal Baseball. If that's still not enough baseball, spend some time at Baseball Nation and check out SB Nation on YouTube.

Nationals GM Calls Cole Hamels 'Fake Tough' For Intentionally Hitting Bryce Harper

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo took exception to Cole Hamels intentionally throwing at his young star hitter Bryce Harper (seen below) in Sunday's game against the Phillies.

The pitch was a 93-mph fastball right in the small of the back in the first inning of yesterday's game. Harper later stole home in the inning, which was the only run of the game for the Nationals until the ninth. After the game, Hamels admitting intentionally throwing at Harper (something his manager wishes he hadn't admitted so openly, via Tim Kurkjian's Twitter).

The Phillies went on to win the game, 9-3, and Hamels was also hit by a pitch from Jordan Zimmermann in the top of the third inning. However, Zimmermann claims he didn't intentionally throw at Hamels. End of story? Not where Rizzo is concerned.

Rizzo went on to say

Rizzo responded Monday morning, telling the Post's Adam Kilgore: "I've never seen a more classless, gutless [expletive] act in my 30 years in baseball.

"Cole Hamels says he's old school? He's the polar opposite of old school. He's fake tough. He thinks he's going to intimidate us after hitting our 19-year-old rookie who's eight games into the big leagues? He doesn't know who he's dealing with." (via MLB)

Rizzo also added

"This goes beyond rivalry and all that stuff," Rizzo told the Post. "This points to, you take the youngest guy in baseball. He's never done a thing. And then Hamels patted himself on the back. Harper's old school. Hitting him on the back, that ain't old school. That's [expletive]."

The next series against Washington is scheduled for May 21-May 23, if you want to mark your calendars.

For all your Philadelphia Phillies news and info, head to The Good Phight. If you're a Nationals fan, check out Federal Baseball. If that's still not enough baseball, spend some time at Baseball Nation and check out SB Nation on YouTube.

Cole Hamels Admits He Was Trying To Hit Bryce Harper

Phillies Vs. National Final Score: Hamels Pitches 8 Innings As Philly Wins 9-3 On Sunday Night Baseball

Cole Hamels gave up just five hits and one earned run in eight innings on the mound as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Washington Nationals, 9-3, on Sunday Night Baseball. Hamels also picked up eight strikeouts to improve his record to 4-1 this season and move Philly back within one win of a .500 winning percentage.

Jordan Zimmermann pitched well for the Nats, though certainly wasn't as sharp as his Phillies counterpart. Zimmermann lasted six innings, giving up three earned runs and seven hits. He gave up a two run homer to Hunter Pence in the fourth inning that gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish. The Phillies poured it on in the ninth inning, scoring six runs off singles by Juan Pierre and Freddy Galvis, a triple by Shane Victorino, and another two-run shot from Pence.

The Nationals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Bryce Harper managed to steal home plate on Hamels' attempted pick off at first. Harper showed off some nifty base-running when he went from first to third on a Jayson Werth single to set up the steal. The Nationals added two more runs in their final turn on offense, scoring off Brian Sanches on a double by Roger Bernadina and an infield single by Ian Desmond.

For all your Philadelphia Phillies news and info, head to The Good Phight. If you're a Nationals fan, check out Federal Baseball. If that's still not enough baseball, spend some time at Baseball Nation and check out SB Nation on YouTube.

Phillies Vs Nationals Sunday Night Baseball: Cole Hamels Looks To Salvage Final Game Of Series

A pair of National League East Division ace will square-off in prime time Sunday, when the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals finish a best-of-three series in the nation's capital. The Phillies (13-15) will turn to Cole Hamels (3-1, 2.78 ERA) to try and avoid a sweep at the hands of the up-and-coming Nationals (18-9), who are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers with the best record in the NL.

Youngster Jordan Zimmermann (1-2, 1.89 ERA) will be on the mound for Washington, which hasn't provided its ace with a lot of run support, however, will be looking for its seventh straight victory over Philadelphia.

Here's the game's viewing information:

Location: National Park, Washington, D.C.

Game Time: 8:05 p.m. ET

TV Channel: ESPN

Series: National lead three-game series 2-0.

For all your Philadelphia Phillies news and info, head to The Good Phight. If you're a Nationals fan, check out Federal Baseball. If that's still not enough baseball, spend some time at Baseball Nation and check out SB Nation on YouTube.

Phillies Vs. National Final Score: Phils Lose To Nats, 7-1

The Philadelphia Phillies dropped their second consecutive games to the NL East-leading Washington Nationals on Saturday, losing by a final score of 7-1.

Nats lefty, Gio Gonzalez, continued his string of dominant performances as he went seven innings, allowing only one run on four hits and walk, while fanning seven. Vance Worley went six innings for the Phils, allowing five runs on 11 hits and two walks.

The Phillies struck first, on a fourth inning sacrifice fly from Carlos Ruiz, but Worley ran into some trouble the fouling inning, when he allowed four of his five runs. Former Phillie, Jason Werth, took Worley deep for a three-run homer, followed by an RBI double from Rick Ankiel.

Sunday's series finale is scheduled for 8:00 PM on ESPN.

For all your Philadelphia Phillies news and info, head to The Good Phight. If you're a Nationals fan, check out Federal Baseball. If that's still not enough baseball, spend some time at Baseball Nation and check out SB Nation on YouTube.

Cliff Lee Injury Update: Pitcher Expected To Return Wednesday

One of the Philadelphia Phillies three aces, Cliff Lee, has been on the disabled list since April 19 with a strained oblique muscle. He threw a bullpen session on Saturday and expects to return Wednesday, against the New York Mets.

If he continues to feel OK -- and there is no reason to think he will not -- he will face the New York Mets on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park. Kyle Kendrick, who had been starting in Lee's place, will return to the bullpen.

Lee's pitched 23 innings for the Phils this season, sporting an ERA of 1.96. He's striking out less batters during his short 2012 stint, than he did in 2011, but his groundball/flyball rate was an absurdly good 2.77 before hitting the DL.

For all your Philadelphia Phillies news and info, head to The Good Phight. If you're a Nationals fan, check out Federal Baseball. If that's still not enough baseball, spend some time at Baseball Nation and check out SB Nation on YouTube.

Phillies Vs. Nationals, Game 2: Preview, Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Philadelphia Phillies dropped game one of their series with the Washington Nationals on Saturday, losing 4-3 in extra innings. They'll look to bounce back Saturday afternoon, when they're scheduled to face hard-throwing lefty, Gio Gonzalez, who's been pitching lights out all season.

Opposing Gonzalez for the Phillies will be Vance Worley, who's pitched very well this season as well. Worley is 2-1 on the season, while sporting a 1.97 ERA. Expect Worley to regress at some point, however – his FIP is 3.72, indicating he's been the beneficiary of some good luck thus far. Despite his nine strikeouts per nine innings, he still doesn't miss many bats with his low-90s fastball.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.

For all your Philadelphia Phillies news and info, head to The Good Phight. If you're a Nationals fan, check out Federal Baseball. If that's still not enough baseball, spend some time at Baseball Nation and check out SB Nation on YouTube.

Nationals Vs. Phillies Final Score: Washington Earns Walk-Off Victory, 4-3, In 11 Innings

The Philadelphia Phillies seemed to have everything rolling their way Friday. But a lapse by the bullpen led to a 11-inning marathon and a disappointing 4-3 loss to NL East Division foe the Washington Nationals.

Phillies starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick tossed five innings and allowed just one run, but relievers Joe Savery and Chad Qualls couldn't hold onto the victory. Kendrick left with Philadelphia ahead 3-1, however, Savery gave up a run in the bottom of the sixth and Qualls surrendered the game-tying run in the eighth that led to extra innings.

The game ended on an run-scoring single by Nats' catcher Wilson Ramos, who lined a slider from losing pitcher Michael Schwimer into center field in the bottom of the 11th.

Overall, the Phillies (13-14) collected just six hits, two of them by catcher Carlos Ruiz, and were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

For all your Philadelphia Phillies news and info, head to The Good Phight. If you're a Nationals fan, check out Federal Baseball. If that's still not enough baseball, spend some time at Baseball Nation and check out SB Nation on YouTube.

Phillies Vs. Nationals, Game 1: Preview, Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Phillies begin a three-game set with the Nationals on Friday; they're scheduled to face the Nats top three pitchers this weekend