The Philadelphia Phillies might not trade Cole Hamels

Chad Billingsley’s best start in almost three years could be his last for a while.

Hamels had no luck, either, as he followed up one of his worst career starts with another clunker, lasting just three innings and allowing five runs on eight hits. “I am just glad to be doing well, that’s all I care about”. “I don’t know the extent of it until I see the doctor”. Rosenthal writes that the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles have all scouted Hamels in recent weeks and could be landing spots for the pitcher.

Just the same, Ryne Sandberg had left the Phillies in a rotting, unsightly pile and there was still a baseball season to finish.

Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP and three-time All-Star, might have made his final home start for the Phillies. First baseman Ryan Howard led off the inning with a home run to right field, and, after a one-out double by center fielder Odubel Herrera, shortstop Freddy Galvis knocked a two-run bomb of his own into the right field seats to hand the Phillies the lead.

Fernandez, 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA coming in, allowed only first-inning single by Franco and a Domonic Brown walk in the fifth. The Phillies have won consecutive games and shoot for the sweep of the Marlins Sunday. The left-hander, considered to be a top candidate to be dealt at the trading deadline, gave up a career-worst nine runs in 3 1/3 innings in his last outing.

By then, Mackanin had twice been an interim manager, going 12-14 in Pittsburgh in 2005, then 41-39 in Cincinnati in 2007.

Despite being touched up by a J.T. Realmuto home run in the ninth, Jonathan Papelbon finished up in the ninth, which he’s sure to point out in his next public trade demand.

Later, Mackanin let it slip that Cole Hamels was likely to be traded, the kind of information that 21st century head coaches and managers typically are terrified to share.

“The first two games we didn’t take care of the ball, ” said Jennings, referring to both mental and physical errors that killed them Friday and Saturday, before what seemed on the verge of being a stirring victory turned ugly.

After Cesar Hernandez doubled, scoring Jeff Francouer and giving the Phillies a 6-5 lead, the Fish answered in the eighth, as Jeff Mathis hit a sacrifice fly to score Cole Gillespie and Ichiro collected a RBI single.

Mackanin said Sunday that Francoeur has been campaigning for added playing time. Cosart went on the disabled list in May because he had vertigo….

That’s because Billingsley felt soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow.

And not just because president-in-waiting Andy McPhail tends to move cautiously, or that Hamels’ last two starts – both pretty bad – are scaring off teams. Utley was batting. 179 before going on the DL with an ankle injury in June…. Meanwhile, Marlins right-hander Dan Haren was knocked around in the second inning but survived six innings of five-run ball. It’s uncertain whether Williams rejoins the rotation when he’s ready.

After getting roughed up by the Dodgers, Hamels has a 3.91 ERA over his 19 starts and 119 2/3 innings of work this year.

After a premature exit by starter Cole Hamels and effective relief from Justin De Fratus, Elvis Araujo and Luis Garcia, Giles was touched by four hits in the eighth inning as the Marlins grabbed a 7-6 lead.