Cole's Fine, Team Not

Cole Hamels played fine yesterday.
Real fine.
But the Phillies didn't back him up.
So, we have a message for all the fans who've been ragging on Cole: Shut up! Leave the champs' lanky ace pitcher alone. Cole knows what he's gotta do and he knows how to do it. And Cole does it with style and grace.
Don't hassle Hamels. Go after the Phillies' so-called "hitters" who aren't producing.
Here's the story from Ray Parrillo at the Philadelphia Inquirer:
The Phillies game in front of another sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park [Thursday] looked similar to quite a few last season when Cole Hamels was on the mound. Terrific pitching. Not much support. The lanky lefthander put the hard-luck start he had in April further back in his rearview mirror with seven strong innings. He gave up one earned run, struck out nine, and dropped his earned run average to 1.56 over his last three starts. His performance came against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have the best record in the game. Yet the Phils went down, 5-3, in 10 innings because just about everything else collapsed around Hamels at critical junctures. Afterward they had to board a train to the nation's capital carrying the baggage that comes with having lost six of their last eight games after going 2-4 during the homestand. And since President Obama is dealing with his own problems, the Phillies probably won't get much help from him today when they visit the White House, where they will be honored as World Series champions. "Right now, we're not playing good," manager Charlie Manuel said after run-scoring doubles by Russell Martin and Matt Kemp in the 10th inning decided the issue. "We're not hitting the ball good. We're just not putting it together. "It's just not there right now. We've got to get after it a little more. We've got to bring it a little better."