The Phillies come off a full weekend of rest thanks to Hurricane Irene as they are now set to face their most grueling stretch of the season. Starting with the Reds tonight, the Phillies have 33 games in their next 31 days. Good news is that they will have All Star Cole Hamels back starting tonight, the lefty had spent the previous 15 days on the DL with some inflammation in his shoulder. Rich Dubee says that Hamels feels good.
"He's great," Dubee told the Phillies' official website. "He threw the ball really, really well (Tuesday) and he's feeling strong, no arm discomfort, really good command of everything, no hesitancy."
The storm and subsequent canceled games wreaked havoc on how the Phillies slot their starters. After Hamels tonight, Roy Halladay then Cliff Lee will pitch the next two contests and either Vance Worley or Roy Oswalt will pitch the series finale in Cincy.
"It's pretty hard to get guys slotted in on their fifth day," Dubee said. "I think we're looking forward to getting back to a normal schedule. Hopefully that will happen in Cincinnati."
The Reds happen to be a very good opponent for Hamels to return against as he's handled them better than any other team in baseball. Cincy has hit .168 as a team against him in his career, which is his lowest BAA of any opponent. He's won his last 8 starts against them with a 1.34 ERA and is undefeated at the Great American Ballpark.