The Phillies pitching has been downright atrocious this year. They got unlucky after Roy Halladay, who was obviously struggling to find his heat, announced on Wednesday that he would be undergoing shoulder surgery. It's most disappointing because the rotation was expected to be one of their strengths. Hamels isn't having trouble with his velocity, but for the second consecutive night, he saw his control vanish as he gave up two runs and six hits in a one-run loss.
With Halladay out, the pressure is on him to live up his new $144 million dollar contract. He's taking up a large chunk of MLB's third-largest payroll. Instead, his ERA has now jumped to 4.18, just off his career-high, and he's 1-5 on the mound this season. That's not bad for a regular pitcher, but with the Phillies old bats struggling, he's got to throw like an ace and get those wild pitches under control for the Phils to make a run in the loaded NL East.
