All is right again, King Cole is back!

A day after watching Jamie Moyer get pounded by the Mets, the Phillies were desperately hoping for a good pitching performance. Enter Cole Hamels, who has had a rocky season to say the least as he has dealt with injuries and poor outings. Hamels proved he was back in a big way tonight, however, as he went 6 innings, struck out 7 and gave up 2 runs, leading the Phillies to a 10-6 win over the Braves.

While it would have been an accomplishment had Hamels simply managed to escape the game without getting injured, he did so much more to instill confidence that the Phillies rotation woes might be cured by having their ace back and pitching every 5th day. The Phils still remain in first place after beating the Braves and if they could just get consistent outings from their starting pitchers, they could run away with the division.

A pitcher that hasn't been himself lately is Brad Lidge. Lidge came into the game in the 9th inning with the Phillies up 10-3, presumably to get some work in as he continues to recover from injury. He nearly blew the game, however, after allowing a walk, double and a subsequent 3-run homer before mowing down three Braves in a row to end the game. Lidge's ERA now sits at 8.49 for the season, a far cry from the 1.05 he put up last season.

A little pitching will go a long way for the Phillies. Let's hope Cole Hamels has now sent a message to the rest of the staff to step up their performance.