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Hamels is in a rut; it's up to Phillies to free him

The first line drive, off a fat 92-m.p.h. fastball that was Cole Hamels' fourth pitch Sunday, soared over Domonic Brown's head in right field, a long single for Ichiro Suzuki. The second line drive, by Cole Gillespie, nearly split the left-center-field gap. The third line drive, by Christian Yelich, shot back toward the pitching mound and Hamels' head; he had to duck to avoid it.

Bad pitches all, Hamels said late Sunday afternoon. Bad setups. Bad location. Bad, if predictable, results. The trade deadline is July 31, and three innings into an 8-7 victory over the Miami Marlins, 94 games into a season that been the bus crash everyone (except the Phillies themselves) saw coming, there's finally a cause for irrational panic where the Phillies are concerned.