Phillies Recap: Phillies-7, Nationals-1

Game Recap:
Cole Hamels pitched four and 1/3 innings before having to leave the game with a sprained ankle, but Chase Utley's two home runs drove the Phillies to their fifth straight win.

What went right?

Chase Utley went 3-4 with two home runs and three RBI, giving him 20 for the young season.

Pedro Feliz added a three run home run of his own, and finished the game 2-4 with three RBI of his own.

Raul Ibanez continued to work his way into our hearts, adding his seventh homer of the season.

Before leaving the game, Cole Hamels pitched four and 1/3 innings of shutout baseball, striking out four and walking two.

The bullpen was solid once again, allowing just one run after Hamels left, with Chad Durbin picking up the win.

What went wrong?

Cole Hamels left the game in the top of the fifth inning with what the Phillies are describing as a sprained ankle.

Game Analysis:

Ugh...what should have been a great win for the Phillies was overshadowed by another injury to Cole Hamels. He started the year with his elbow bothering him, now he's left back to back starts with injuries to his shoulder and ankle. His left ankle was injured, which is his push-off elbow, so his next start is more than likely in question.

However, the Philadelphia offense came to play once again, and Chase Utley is clearly back to his top form, drilling his sixth and seventh home runs of the season already. Pedro Feliz has also looked good, as he's hitting .333 on the season with two home runs and 14 RBI. Shane Victorino continued his hot streak, going 2-4 to raise his average to .297 now for the season, and Jimmy Rollins stole his first base tonight as well. All things considered, the Phillies are certainly putting things together at the plate.

Unfortunately, the injury to Hamels takes precedent tonight. If he is out for an extended period of time, it's certainly going to be a big problem, especially since he was starting to get back to his form from last October in his past two starts. The best option the Phils would have if Hamels is out would be to put J.A. Happ in the rotation to take Hamels' spot. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that, but if it does, at least the Phillies know that Happ can hold things together while Cole gets healthy.

For now, we wait to see exactly what's up with Cole's ankle. Hopefully, it's nothing too bad. Tomorrow, Brett Myers (1-1, 4.91 ERA) looks to keep the Phils' winning streak alive against Scott Olsen (0-3, 7.29 ERA).