Phillies personnel wouldn't confirm the switch. "But that would make sense," one insider allowed with a knowing smile.
Afterward, Hamels denied that he had made an equipment change. "Nope. Same glove," he said.
While it was impossible to say with 100 percent certainty, it appeared that the glove he used last night was slightly longer than the one he'd used in recent starts.
There is some anecdotal evidence that makes the theory plausible. In his regular-season career against the Dodgers, Hamels is 2-0 with a 1.50 earned run average in four starts. That does not include last year's National League Championship Series, when he went 2-0, 1.93 against Los Angeles.
In his Game 1 start at Dodger Stadium a week ago today, though, he went only 5 1/3 innings while allowing four runs on eight hits.
True, anybody can have a bad game. But Hamels also lasted only five innings against the Rockies in the first round and was charged with four runs. The pitcher who was voted Most Valuable Player of both the NLCS and World Series last October went into last night's start with a 6.97 postseason ERA.
And postseason is the time of year when clubs send multiple scouts to check out possible playoff opponents and literally do a frame-by-frame analysis of each pitcher, hoping to come up with a tidbit that would give them an edge.
If tipping pitches has been Hamels' problem, though, the glove he used apparently wasn't the solution. He lasted only 4 1/3 innings while giving up three runs on five hits, and continued to have trouble commanding his fastball and throwing sharp breaking pitches to lefthanded hitters.
