Hamels snaps skid thanks to five-run seventh

PHILADELPHIA -- The way things have gone this year for the Phillies and Cole Hamels -- who entered Wednesday's outing on a six-start losing skid -- the only thing they needed to take out of the game was a win.

"Cole Hamels got a win," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said with a laugh to open his postgame news conference.

Hamels struck out 11 and the Phillies jumped on reliever A.J. Ramos for five runs in the seventh en route to a 6-1 win at a sun-drenched Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won their fourth consecutive game -- their longest winning streak of the season -- to improve to .500, and won a game Hamels started for just the second time this year.

The Phillies now embark on a 10-game road trip to Milwaukee, Minnesota and Colorado before returning home for series against National League East rivals Washington and New York.

With the game tied at 1, the Marlins lifted starter Jacob Turner following six innings for Ramos, and after two pitches, the tone changed for good.

Freddy Galvis took a ball and then made a check swing on a pitch high and in. The pitch itself appeared to be a miscommunication between catcher Miguel Olivo and Ramos, as Olivo had set up outside. The pitch -- ruled a foul tip -- got past Olivo and hit home-plate umpire John Hirschbeck on the right hand. Hirschbeck left the game, and second-base umpire Jim Reynolds moved behind the plate.

"If he hadn't called a foul tip it would have been 2-0," Manuel said. "Evidently, [Hirschbeck] told the umpires it was a foul tip. Because he got hit, he was on the ground and didn't call anything. I went back and watched it, and I didn't think he hit it. That's what I was talking to Bob Davidson about.

The move itself led to a 14-minute delay, and after Galvis struck out, Delmon Young hit a pinch-hit single. Ben Revere followed with a single, and after a flyout moved pinch-runner Cesar Hernandez to third, Jimmy Rollins singled into center for a 2-1 lead.

"I think I was more worried that -- after the 15-minute umpire delay -- that I wouldn't be able to throw a pitch," said Hamels, who had thrown 108 pitches. "That's hard on the arm."

Ryan Howard followed Rollins' single with a two-run triple, and Domonic Brown then hit his 18th home run of the season to hand the Phillies a 6-1 lead.

Hamels entered the game mired in a slump that had seen him go 1-9 with a 4.86 ERA. The Phillies were 1-11 in his starts and had scored just 2.62 runs per game for the lefty, which was tied for third worst in the Majors. The offensive woes continued early, but after a leadoff double by Juan Pierre to start the game, Hamels dominated the Marlins.

"That was a good game for six innings," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "Hamels was much better today than when we've seen him the last couple of times. He threw some nasty pitches.

"Once again, you come in here, and they're able to put the ball in the seats and we're not. One run in this ballpark, it's tough to win ballgames. Over the course of the series, if you look, we hit one home run in the series, and they hit six."

Hamels, who recorded the 23rd double-digit strikeout game of his career, allowed just four hits and a walk in his outing.

Tuesday night's hero John Mayberry got the Phillies (30-30) going with a two-out single into left during the second inning. Erik Kratz followed with a double just inside the third-base line that made it all the way into the left-field corner. Former Phillies outfielder Pierre set up as if he thought the ball would hit the cutout of the stands along the line, but when the ball slid past, Pierre had to change course, and that moment allowed Mayberry to score all the way from first for a 1-0 lead.

"We'll be over .500 tomorrow night if we play good," said Manuel, whose team has yet to cross the even mark through 60 games. "When you get to .500, if we can win some games, like four or five straight, or eight out of 10, we'll be in a good position.

Derek Dietrich tied the game for the Marlins with a solo shot in the fourth, but that was all Miami would get.

"Just being able to throw strikes -- I know the hitters were pretty aggressive -- at the same time you can't be afraid of that, you have to go after them and let them get themselves out," Hamels said. "Just being able to do that and keeping my pitch count down, that's what made it a lot easier to get through some situations unscathed.

"I know I made a mistake to the second baseman [Dietrich], but at least it was not as prevalent as I've done in the past."