Cole Hamels has been one of the few bright spots during the Philadelphia Phillies' disappointing season.
The left-hander looks to end his season on a positive note Sunday when the Phillies conclude their road series with the Miami Marlins.
Though Philadelphia (79-79) will miss the playoffs for the first time in six years, Hamels (16-6, 3.11 ERA) set a career high for wins Tuesday after he allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings of a 6-3 victory over Washington. Hamels is 5-0 with a 2.73 ERA in nine starts since losing to the Nationals on Aug. 2.
"He's had a big year for us," manager Charlie Manuel told the Phillies' official website. "I don't know where we'd be without him."
Hamels posted a 5.21 ERA while losing his first three starts against the Marlins this season before he tossed a seven-hitter during a 4-0 win at Miami on Aug. 13.
He looks to help the Phillies take this set after they snapped a three-game skid with a 9-5 win Saturday. Jimmy Rollins had three hits while Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz combined for five RBIs as Philadelphia overcame an early 3-0 deficit to win for the second time in seven games.
Rollins has batted .414 (12 for 29) in his last eight games versus Miami (67-91), which has lost 10 of 12.
The Marlins did not have to face slugger Ryan Howard on Saturday and won't in the finale after the Phillies announced he will miss the remainder of the season with a broken toe suffered Thursday when he dropped a metal pipe on his foot in the on-deck circle.
Howard, who missed the first three months of the season while recovering from Achilles surgery, hit .219 with 14 homers and 56 RBIs in 71 games.
"I know I'm a better hitter than that," Howard told the Phillies' official website. "But I think for being able to come in and try to do the best I could and contribute, considering everything that had gone on and not really having a spring training to properly get ready for the season, I look at that as a positive."
Scheduled Miami starter Nathan Eovaldi (4-12, 4.29) is 0-3 with a 6.43 ERA against the Phillies this season. The right-hander allowed five runs in four innings of a 9-7 loss at Philadelphia on Sept. 11.
That defeat is part of a current stretch where Eovaldi is 0-4 with a 4.91 ERA over six starts since winning at Colorado on Aug. 18. He is 3-6 with a 4.42 ERA in 11 starts since the Marlins acquired him from the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of the Hanley Ramirez deal July 25.
Eovaldi, however, has yielded two runs and struck out 13 in 14 innings while not factoring in the decision of his last two starts - both versus Atlanta. He allowed those runs over six innings of a 4-3 loss at Turner Field on Tuesday.
Miami's Giancarlo Stanton hit his career-high 36th home run Saturday. The slugging outfielder is batting .448 (13 for 29) with four homers and nine RBIs against the Phillies at home this season.
