“… you don’t get guys out that you know you should be getting out, so it becomes a mental burden …”
          – “Sigmund” Hamels, offering entrails

“… I call my grandmother in San Diego …”
          - “Whole Milk” Hamels 

I’ve sucked this season for the money I make and the attention that is lavished on me.  I’ve gotta suck it up tonight and pitch with guts in the face of Yankees reality.
          – “Don Quixote” Hamels

……if he’s really good, and we have the series lead going into game 6, maybe Manuel goes with Cole over Pedro?

Can’t see that happening, as Hamels would only be on 3 days rest.

……It would be between Hamels and Blanton, and if Blanton does well in game 4 it becomes a huge, huge call.

Can’t see this happening either, as Blanton would only be on 3 days rest also, and, not taking his regular turn for a while now, I think it would be asking too much of him.

I’ve been tossing around different scenarios, but it seems to me like our rotation is now set:  Hamels, Blanton, Lee, Pedro, Hamels.  I mean, Happ is completely out of the starting equation and you can’t move the others around because of the required rest.  I suppose if Hamels were to get hammered tomorrow, Charlie might have to come up with an emergency plan.  Otherwise, I’d say that Hamels is our game 7 starter, my friend, although he’d most likely be on a very short leash since it’s for the whole ball of wax.

As for the rest of it beyond this season, I’d rather not think about that now (Other than to say that, unless it is a very cheap, 1-year, heavily incentivized deal,  we shouldn’t re-sign Pedro.  He’d be ok to have around for depth, but I can’t see counting on him taking his turn every 5th day for an entire season and pitching well consistently.  I don’t think his body can stand up to it anymore.).

* If he pitches us to a win, where the offense doesn’t need to bail him out, then in a possible game 7, he’ll be more confident and it’ll be in the Yankees’ minds that Hamels beat them before.  Plus, if he’s really good, and we have the series lead going into game 6, maybe Manuel goes with Cole over Pedro?

* If he pitches badly, do we throw him out there for a potential game 7?  If we get there, that could be Manuel’s biggest decision ever.  It would be between Hamels and Blanton, and if Blanton does well in game 4 it becomes a huge, huge call.

* Then there’s his value to the franchise – if he sucks tomorrow, and Charlie decides not to throw him out there for the rest of the series, what happens to him for next season and how does it affect the Phillies’ other moves?  Do we try to move him, re-sign Brett Myers?  Because after Lee who’s #2?  Happ?  If he does well, we wouldn’t have to worry about re-signing Pedro and making the same mistake with Moyer.  Are we going to try to re-sign Lee, and if we do then Hamels’ contract would be a good one to move if he truly has lost that proverbial “it”.

I love Hamels, he’s one of my favorites, and I didn’t like to see him struggle this year, so I hope he comes back with a vengeance tomorrow, but it’s no ordinary World Series start - he’s supposed to be an important part of the Phillies’ foundation, but if it turns out he’s not anymore, then it’s a crack you just can’t patch over – the ramifications of his performance tomorrow might be felt for the next couple of years.

“He hasn’t pitched on three days’ rest, although I talked to him and he told me he had, or I thought he did,” Manuel said. “I also like him in Game 5 because we’ve got an offday Tuesday. If it goes seven games or something, that would be on his bullpen day and he might be able to pitch or whatever … I don’t think he’s ready for it on three days’ rest. That’s really pushing him because he’s never done it before. If he had done it before like CC has, and CC pitched consistently last year on three days’ rest. I think you’re taking a chance on really pushing him. He’s the kind of guy that he gets into the game and with his adrenaline going and everything, and definitely we don’t want to hurt him.
“And I think Blanton fits for us because I think we want to keep J.A. Happ in the bullpen, especially kind of in the middle where he could do some innings. Also Joe pitched last year in the World Series and he’s got a little bit more experience.”

Well, that means we’re only getting one more start from Lee while CC will most likely get two more.  Not surprising, but we really need Hamels to step up now.

True enough (unless we also need him for a game 7 of course).

And Rivera did look mortal last night.  I really thought we were going to get something off of him.  I was thinking that even if Utley grounded out (with the runners going, of course) or something, we’d have 2nd & 3rd with Howard coming up.  Maybe he gets the intentional unintentional walk.  Then Werth gets a shot.  All the while Rivera’s pitch count would keep climbing, maybe to the point where Girardi would not want to risk bringing him back out for the 9th.  Couldn’t make it happen.

Encouraging for the rest of the series though, especially since there are now 3 straight games in Philly with no off days.

This is especially true when they’re facing a guy like Rivera.  He gives up very little, so you’ve got to make the most out of what you do get off of him.

We need our offense to get to Pettitte and the Yankees middle relief.  If Hamels delivers a gem, I’ll take it as a bonus at this point (not a sign that he has finally, it what could be his last start this year,  turned it around).

Forgot to mention that I understand you are saying that if Hamels pitched the same game as Pedro did last night the reaction would be different due to the greater expectations we have of Hamels (also that there is nothing wrong with that).  You’re right.

When you look at the two of them———-One being a 38-year old we took a flier on in mid-season as a possible stopgap 5th starter and who has pitched sporadically over the last 6 weeks, while the other is a 25-year old NLCS and World Series MVP who has been taking his regular turn in the rotation the entire season———-I’d say the expectations certainly should be different, and markedly so.