Phillies’ Cole Hamels searches for winning formula

Reporting from St. Louis -- Every time Cole Hamels took the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 postseason, he had the perfect formula.

“Sometimes you just have blind luck,” he said Monday. “And I just happened to be on my game and everything was just working, and [we were] able to get the runs for me.”

His 2008 National League Championship Series and World Series most-valuable-player awards can be attributed to his 4-0 record and 1.80 earned-run average. In 35 innings over five starts in that postseason, he walked nine, struck out 30 and opponents hit .190.

It’s quite the contrast to what the left-hander did in the final month of the 2011 regular season. That’s when he put up his worst numbers of any month this year.

In six games (five starts), which spanned 38 innings, Hamels had a 3.79 ERA, walked nine and surrendered nine home runs, the same number he gave up in his previous 1461/3 innings spanning 21 starts in May, June, July and August.

Of the 16 earned runs Hamels gave up in September, 15 came on home runs.

Hamels, 27, blamed some of his struggles on poor pitch placement. His other explanation was that he was stepping out of his comfort zone.

“I was not going to a certain pitch that I knew I could probably get the guy out with and [was] trying something new,” he said. “A few of the hitters ended up hitting home runs.”

Some of those hitters are players who are known for power: Dan Uggla, Albert Pujols, Corey Hart and Mike Stanton.

Others, not so much: Yuniesky Betancourt, Val Pascucci, Clint Barmes, Mike Cameron and Allen Craig.

“September [was] pretty frustrating,” Hamels said. “The home runs can definitely kill you, especially in the postseason [when] they can definitely take the wind out of your sails.”

In the first five months of the season, Hamels was a Cy Young Award candidate, with a 2.58 ERA and 10 home runs given up in 178 innings over 26 starts.

Hamels faced St. Louis once this year and the Cardinals beat him, 5-0, on Sept. 18. In seven innings, he struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter but gave up two home runs, which accounted for all four runs with which he was charged.

St. Louis Manager Tony La Russa knows Hamels is better than that outing. He has watched Hamels develop a curveball and cutter that have been huge additions to his fastball and dominant changeup.

“He’s added another wrinkle or two to what hitters have to face,” La Russa said. “Before he had those, he was already really good. Now he’s better. He’s got a lot of ways to get a hitter out.”

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