PHILADELPHIA – Now that the Philadelphia Phillies have two other aces, Cole Hamels is pitching like one again.
Hamels had another outstanding outing and the Phillies took advantage of an error by right fielder Jason Heyward to beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Monday night, increasing their lead in the National League East to four games.
The two-time defending NL champions won their eighth straight game and improved to 42-15 since July 21, when they trailed the Braves by seven games.
Hamels (12-10) allowed one run and six hits, striking out six in eight innings to win his fifth straight start – a career best. Brad Lidge finished for his 24th save in 29 chances.
Having right-handers Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt on the staff clearly has helped Hamels bounce back from a disappointing season after he was MVP of the 2008 World Series and NLCS.