Hamels to take mound Tuesday

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Tuesday, Cole Hamels will step on the mound for the first time since camp opened. He will be two weeks behind the rest of the pitchers in camp, but he also will be 100 percent pain-free. And a little delay is worth the large amount of concern lifted from his shoulders, particularly the left one.

“I feel like I’m right where I’d be if it was Feb. 1 going into spring training,” said Hamels, whose mound sessions were delayed by two weeks due to an inflamed biceps tendon that emerged in late November. “I’m allowed to lift now. It feels good. I feel really good. I’ve made tremendous progress. The training staff has been outstanding with getting me on a real good program.”

Hamels enters the season with the second-best WHIP (walks and hits per inning) among active pitchers with at least 1,000 innings, his 1.141 bettered only by Clayton Kershaw (1.092), and he’s sixth in career ERA (3.38) behind Kershaw, Adam Wainwright, Felix Hernandez, Jered Weaver and Matt Cain.

However, after getting out to strong starts to the season in each of his first two full years in the majors, Hamels has had problems in his first two starts since 2009. In his inaugural start in the last five seasons, he has allowed 23 earned runs in 21 2/3 innings for a 9.55 ERA. His second starts (5.46 ERA) haven’t been much better, giving him a 7.13 ERA in those 10 games.

That certainly plays a role in the measured rate Hamels is being prepped for action and why he was quick to eliminate himself from being in the rotation for the first turn of the regular season.

“In the past, I’d want to ramp it up a little bit on certain days,” Hamels said. “I know that’s not necessarily helpful in building up. I think I’ve been able to do everything to the best of my ability at the right time and at the right pace. There has been that slow progression, and now I feel like my body is capable of making the big jumps.”

Those jumps should get Hamels on the mound for four spring starts before the start of the regular season. It might take another start in extended spring to get him stretched out so he can throw 100 pitches in his first regular-season game, but the 30-year-old doesn’t think being at that threshold is a requirement if his execution of pitches is sharp.

“Ultimately you want to be at 100 pitches because that can get you through a game,” he said. “The ultimate goal of every pitcher is to pitch a complete game, so 100 pitches gives you a better opportunity than 90 or 85. That’s what I’m working towards, but if that doesn’t happen and I’m at 80 or 85, I feel like I still can give the team a really good chance.

“The only way I’ll make some better strides is when I get into games and see where I’m at … That’s where I think they’ll make a better judgment of where I am and what I’ll be capable of throwing.”

Hamels’ lack of mound activity in these two weeks prior to the Grapefruit League schedule have given him a chance to be more observant and interactive with others. That includes new pitching coach Bob McClure.

“It’s been great,” Hamels said of his rapport with McClure. “I’ve gotten a good idea about his coaching style, and it’s exciting to have a new guy come in and not be scared. We have a lot of guys who have had success at the big-league level, and he has encouraged us and tried to pick our brains, along with giving insight that he’s discovered and we’ve been really receptive to it. I think it’s been very beneficial for the both of us.”

“He has a really good feel for the game,” McClure said. “Obviously, when you come up when you’re (22) and pitch the way he has pitched, you have to have a pretty good feel for the game. That, to me, stands out — how much he understands the game and the things he wants to get better at. It’s really cool to hear that from him.”

For a guy who had his critical moments about the team and its direction last season, Hamels sounded very optimistic about what he has seen from the Phils in the first 11 days of camp, particularly in the bullpen.

“I’m really confident in the bullpen this year ... it’s been fun to see them,” he said. “Obviously I have been watching a lot more than going out and throwing, and it’s been exciting to see what caliber guys we have this year.

“Everyone has a place, and if you aren’t able to participate there is another place for you. You can’t just escape and hide in a corner because that’s not being a good teammate, and that’s not being a positive veteran (influence). I’m going to go out there and encourage them as much as possible, watch what they are doing and help them if they have any questions. That’s why we’re here.”