Hamels gets 10 Ks but falls to 1-7 with Miami loss

[May 21, 2013]  MIAMI (AP) -- Cole Hamels can't be pleased with the lack of run support, particularly with the type of outing he had Monday night.

Hamels worked six strong innings with 10 strikeouts but was outworked by Alex Sanabia in the Philadelphia Phillies' 5-1 loss to the Miami Marlins.

Hamels (1-7) has not won since April 28 at the New York Mets.

"I worry about the (mental part)," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "I think Cole definitely expects to be the big pitcher on our team. He expects to win and it's hard not to get upset when you ... he pitched good tonight."

Philadelphia came in having scored two or fewer runs in 18 of 45 games this season.

"We definitely have to score more runs to have a winning team," Manuel said. "Hopefully we can keep staying at it and we will, but right now it's tough. We take a step forward and two steps back."

Hamels did not speak with reporters after the game.

"You know it's tough on him ... it's got to be," said Domonic Brown, who homered for the Phillies. "He probably won't say it's tough on him, but I would say it definitely is."

Sanabia and Hamels both came in tied with Cubs right-hander Edwin Jackson for the NL lead in losses, but both pitched well.

Hamels, the 2008 World Series and NLCS MVP, gave up two runs and seven hits without a walk. The left-hander allowed three singles in the first inning, and they resulted in a run when Marcell Ozuna drove in Adeiny Hechavarria for an early Marlins lead.

Brown homered to right in the second, his eighth of the season, for the Phillies' only run.

"It's frustrating, it's definitely frustrating because I know we have the talent and the ability," Brown said. "The numbers speak for themselves in the past. It's May, it's time to get going as a team."

Hamels, who signed a $144 million, six-year contract last July, settled down after the first inning and fanned seven of 10 batters during one stretch, but the Phillies dropped to 1-9 in games he's started after going 21-10 in his 31 starts last season.

"It doesn't mean he's pitching bad," Phillies catcher Erik Kratz said. "It just means we're not getting that 'W'. The way I look at it and the way Cole looks at it is Cole is going to win a lot of games this year, next year, whatever it is. He's going to win a lot more games this year."

Justin Ruggiano and Nick Green each drove in two runs for Miami in front of a season-low crowd of 13,231 at Marlins Park.

"We've been waiting for those base hits and tonight we were fortunate enough to get a couple of them," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "It was nice to see."

Sanabia (3-6), who had lost each of his previous five starts, allowed one run and seven hits over 6 1-3 innings to get his first win since April 16.

"It's been a while, a few outings since I had one," Sanabia said. "It felt great to get one."

Miami had 11 hits and struck out 13 times on its way to scoring more than three runs for just the second time in 13 games. The Marlins have won two straight after dropping seven in a row and 10 of 11.

Miami (9-27) improved to 4-5 against Philadelphia this season, including winning the last three.

"They can handle different teams better than others," Manuel said. "They've got a young team and they scrap and claw. They might not score a lot of runs, but they get their cuts in and against us they score. They score enough to beat us at times."

Hamels gave up a leadoff single to Placido Polanco in the sixth and a two-out RBI double to Ruggiano that snapped an 0-for-18 slump and put the Marlins ahead 2-1.

"I haven't been keeping track of what I've not been doing this past week, I just know it hasn't been good," Ruggiano said. "It snowballs on you. ... It was nice to come out and get that monkey off my back and get some hits and some RBIs and win games."

Chris Coghlan had two hits, including a triple, for the Marlins and made an inning-ending, diving catch in left field to take a hit away from Brown in the sixth with two runners on.

"That's the difference between today's game and (Sunday's) game, we would get a few breaks and today they caught balls that we hit," Manuel said. "It's hard to explain."

Philadelphia had a pair of runners on base with one out in the seventh, but Ryan Webb relieved Sanabia and retired pinch hitter Laynce Nix and Jimmy Rollins to preserve the lead.

"We had a good chance when Nix pinch hit in the seventh, but we couldn't tie the game up," Manuel said. "That might have made all of the difference in the world."

Chase Utley was caught stealing to end the eighth.

Miami tacked on three runs in the bottom half. Ruggiano had an RBI single off Phillippe Aumont to score Polanco. Two batters later, Green blooped a two-run single to shallow center that Ben Revere couldn't come up with, making it 5-1.

Chad Qualls struck out two in a hitless ninth.

NOTES: Hamels is 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts at Marlins Park. ... Hechavarria stole the first base of his career in the first inning. ... Miami placed OF Matt Diaz on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 19, with a bruised left knee and selected OF Jordan Brown from Triple-A New Orleans. ... Miami rookie RHP Jose Fernandez (2-2, 3.48 ERA) will face Philadelphia for the third time on Tuesday. He has tossed 13 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts in the first two meetings. The Phillies counter with RHP Tyler Cloyd (0-0, 2.84).

[Associated Press]

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