NL Report: Cole Hamels Nearly Perfect in Phillies' Win

Cole Hamels took a perfect game into the seventh inning before giving up a walk then a two-run homer. (AI Wire photo)

One contender in Philadelphia Wednesday night is going up, the other is coming down.

Cole Hamels took a perfect game into the seventh inning and departed with a two-hitter through eight as the resurgent Philadelphia Phillies moved to .500 for the first time this season by beating the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-2, at Citizens Bank Park.

Rickie Weeks ended Hamels' bid for the perfect game with a leadoff walk in the seventh. Hamels (6-1) lost him on a 3-and-2 change-up and appeared dejected, while a conference on the mound did little to settle the young hurler. Hamels threw two straight pitches out of the strike zone before J.J. Hardy ripped the third offering four rows deep over the wall in left, cutting Milwaukee's deficit to 6-2 and also ending the no-hit bid.

The Phillies paid -138 on the moneyline (meaning a winning bet of $138 would net a $100 profit).

The 23-year-old Hamels finished with two runs on two hits, one walk and 11 strikeouts. He retired the first 18 batters faced, threw 114 pitches - 79 for strikes - and kept Milwaukee hitters off-balance throughout the night while lowering his ERA to 3.30. Hamels also had his first career multi-hit game with a pair of singles. Aaron Rowand hit a three-run homer for the Phillies (20-20), who have taken the first three games of this series and have won six of their last seven overall.

The NL Central-leading Brewers have dropped a season-high four in a row and are now 1-5 on their seven-game road trip. The squad had just three errors in their last 15 games before committing two in this one.

In other National League games on Wednesday:

Washington 6, Atlanta 4: Ryan Church lined a three-run double in the fifth inning that proved to be the winning hit for the host Nationals, a +137 underdog. Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs and scored two runs for Washington, which has won five of its last six games. Scott Thorman ended 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run for the Braves, who have lost three of four.

Florida 4, Pittsburgh 3: Reggie Abercrombie homered and Miguel Cabrera hit two RBI doubles to lead the Marlins to a road victory that paid -102 straight up. Florida took the lead with two runs off Matt Capps (2-1) in the eighth.

New York Mets 8, Chicago Cubs 1: Jorge Sosa allowed one hit over seven-plus innings and Damion Easley belted a two-run homer to power the Mets at Shea Stadium. The start of Wednesday's game was delayed for 3 hours, 7 minutes, and didn't end until just before 1 a.m. ET, leaving the teams nearly 12 hours to rest before the conclusion of the series Thursday afternoon. Sosa (3-0) departed after yielding one run with three walks and five strikeouts. New York paid -139.

Houston 2, San Francisco 1: Rookie Hunter Pence went 4-for-4 and belted a solo home run to the railroad tracks above the leftfield wall in the fourth inning as the Astros won at home. Pence is 7-for-7 in the two tilts against the Giants, hitting .786 in his last four games at 11-for-14. He has homered twice so far in this series. Houston paid -106 straight up.

Colorado 5, Arizona 3: Brad Hawpe homered twice and drove in four runs to pace the Rockies at home. Willy Taveras was 2-for-3 with a run scored as Colorado paid out at +125.

San Diego 3, Cincinnati 2: Kevin Kouzmanoff drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the host Padres, salvaging a -200 payday for their backers. Kouzmanoff was 3-for-3 with two RBIs.

Los Angeles Dodgers 5, St. Louis 4: Wilson Betemit's three-run homer with two outs in the fifth led the Dodgers to a home win. Betemit, pinch-hitting for Randy Wolf, hit a 1-and-0 pitch from Kip Wells (1-8) into the seats in center, giving Los Angeles a 5-3 lead. The Dodgers were a -163 favorite.

For complete MLB lines for Thursday, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.