Cole Hamels is Spoiling Us

Every night that Cole Hamels is the slated starting pitcher for the Phillies, in the back of my mind, I always wonder, "is this the night Hamels finally gets a no-no?"  Last night was almost the night as Hamels was perfect through six innings, walked a batter to lead off the seventh and then surrendered a home-run to the very next batter, J.J. Hardy.

Obviously I never expect a no-hitter, that would be absurd, but every time this kid takes the mound, it really is a possibility.  With each start, there are two things however that work against him.  Obviously the opposing team's hitters are the biggest factors, but the second biggest factor is Cole himself and here's where I am bound to sound like an idiot: he strikes out too many batters.

On the one hand, Hamels' high strikeout rate (he is second in the majors, one strikeout behind San Diego Padre Jake Peavy) makes a no-hitter more likely because when a batted ball goes into play, anything can happen and so for the overall good of the team -- which is really what counts -- his ability to miss bats is a huge advantage.  But when it comes to getting past the seventh and eighth innings and completing a no-hitter, the high pitch counts that result from a high number of strikeouts can be his downfall.

Now that we've thought about this for a bit, lets take a step back and think about what we are discussing: the best way for Hamels to finally achieve a no-hitter.  It's amazing when you think about it because with most pitchers, you're just glad if you get six innings and three earned runs.

I love this kid.