Cole Hamels is taking a mental vacation.
The Phillies have pushed back the struggling pitcher’s next start two days. He’ll take the mound Thursday in Pittsburgh, instead of tomorrow. Hamels is 2-11 with a 4.58 ERA this season.
“See if we can’t get him back to feeling good about himself,” skipper Charlie Manuel said. “He benefits just by clearing his head a little bit and resting. We’ll give him a blow, mentally and physically. Mental has a lot to do with it.”
Manuel said the decision to rest Hamels came from pitching coach Rich Dubee. Hamels seemed a bit miffed about the move, but he understands it.
“I think they just want to make things a little more free and easy,” he said.
But don’t read too much into anything. All parties insist Hamels is 100-pecent healthy despite his recent struggles.
“He’s fine,” Manuel said. “As a matter of fact, he’s very fine.”