Hamels and Mike Stutes led the Phils with five strikeouts each, and Hamels has a team-high six innings pitched.
Best team
Ruben Amaro Jr. looked toward the home dugout at City of Palms Park and made a proclamation.
"This is the best club in baseball, I think," Amaro said.
The Phillies general manager was speaking of the Red Sox, not his team. The teams are viewed as the favorites in their respective leagues, but a group of Phillies reserves who endured the long bus trip beat Boston in the Grapefruit League win.
Both Amaro and manager Charlie Manuel said Boston had the best winter of any team. The Red Sox upgraded their lineup (Carl Crawford, Gonzalez) and their bullpen (Bobby Jenks, Dan Wheeler), and they hope the rash of injuries that derailed the 2010 season is behind them.
"If you go position by position, Boston definitely improved quite a bit," Manuel said.
In the opponents clubhouse Thursday, Boston manager Terry Francona said he was glad Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies instead of the New York Yankees or Texas Rangers. It means he's out of the American League.
A reporter asked Francona whether he would take the Phillies starting rotation now or the starters he had as manager in Philadelphia from 1997 to 2000. He recalled his first spring, when Calvin Maduro was one of the first cuts in camp but ended up starting the second game of the season because of injuries to the rest of the rotation.
"Yeah, I would go with now," Francona said, laughing.
The teams will face each other June 28-30 at Citizens Bank Park. It may not be their only meeting.
"I think if you ask our players," Amaro said, "they think they match up with anyone."
Extra bases
