NEW YORK — Cole Hamels returned to the mound after missing a start with a sore hamstring and had one of his worst outings of the season in the Phillies’ 10-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday afternoon.
After scoring 31 runs in their previous three games, all wins, the Phillies were held to two runs and six hits. They also played sloppy defense.
They missed a chance at a rare sweep and fell to 9-29 on the road and 26-48 overall. Both records are worst in the majors.
The Phils have been held to two or fewer runs 30 times in 74 games.
On the not-so-plus side, they get to face Washington’s Max Scherzer on Friday night. He pitched a no-hitter and struck out 10 in his last start. Only a hit batsman stood between him and a perfect game.
Starting pitching report
Hamels’ command was not good. He needed 102 pitches to get through five innings and walked three batters, two of which became runs. He gave up eight hits and five runs. A couple of the hits were tough ones. One was a bunt. Later, Freddy Galvis lost a ball in the sun and it went for a double to open the Yankees’ three-run fourth. That inning also included an RBI double by Chase Headley that hit the third base bag.
Hamels is now 5-6 with a 3.26 ERA.
The Phillies have not scored a run in 32 of the last 33 innings in which Hamels has been on the mound. That goes back five starts.
Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova was outstanding his first start back from April 2014 Tommy John surgery. He held the Phillies to just three hits over 6⅔ scoreless innings.
Bullpen report
The Yankees tagged Justin De Fratus for four runs in the seventh.
At the plate
The Yankees out-hit the Phillies, 15-6.
Half of the Phillies' hits and both of their runs came in the ninth inning after they were down, 10-0.
Ryan Howard was the DH. He had two doubles.
The Yankees cooled off Maikel Franco, who had three homers and 10 RBIs in the first two games of the series. He went hitless. Franco entered the game hitting .415 in June, best in the majors.
Brett Gardner, Headley and Mark Teixeira drove in runs for the Yankees in the fourth inning. Alex Rodriguez had a two-run single in the seventh.
Got your back, kid
Hamels plunked Rodriguez, the Yankees’ No. 3 hitter, in the thigh with a first-pitch fastball in the first inning. Warnings were issued to both benches. The plunking was clearly a retaliatory move for Yankees lefty Justin Wilson's drilling the red-hot Franco in the hip the night before. A-Rod took his medicine and there were no further incidents.
Ejected
Yankees manager Joe Girardi was booted in the third inning for arguing a check swing.
Transaction
Pitcher Phillippe Aumont, designated for assignment last week, cleared waivers and opted to become a free agent. He can sign with any team.
MLB
Up next
The Phillies are off on Thursday. They open a three-game series against the NL East rival Washington Nationals on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. Here are the pitching matchups:
Friday night: RHP Aaron Harang (4-9, 3.41) vs. Max Scherzer (8-5, 1.76)
Saturday night: LHP Adam Morgan (1-0, 1.59) vs. TBA
Sunday afternoon: RHP Kevin Correia (0-1, 4.30) TBA