Cole Hamels

THE DICHOTOMY of the start of the baseball season is that with 162 games, it's still too early to get excited about the good things. It is never, however, too soon to raise an eyebrow at the bad ones. So, what do you make of Cole Hamels now that the Phillies' ace has crapped out in his first two starts? Unlike last year, when he struggled in his first start at Citizens Bank Park, none of the home faithful booed Hamels after he blew a four-run lead and left in the sixth inning of a 9-8 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

It's early until it isn't. For a baseball team, there is a fine line between maintaining perspective and complacently allowing things to slip away. The Phillies have to watch that line very closely this year, especially when it comes to their pitching - particularly the bullpen. A week in, there are legitimate questions about the bullpen, and the outfield defense, and the lack of power. But the real question, after two lost series, is just what the Phillies accomplished during their seven weeks in Clearwater, Fla. Spring training was extended a bit because of the World Baseball Classic.

TAKE AWAY a gem of a performance by Cliff Lee and a bases-clearing, pinch-hit double by Kevin Frandsen and the Phillies would be 0-6 heading into Roy Halladay's scheduled start against the Mets on Monday night. So things could be worse. But in the wake of a 9-8 loss to the Kansas City Royals that featured their second implosion in 3 days, they also could be much, much better. The root cause of the Phillies' fourth loss of the season was simple: Cole Hamels did not have as much success adapting to umpire Eric Cooper's strike zone as did Royals righthander James Shields, who allowed four runs in the first inning and then put up zeroes in the next five.

The sun showed up. That was a positive. Oh, and Joe Piscopo looks pretty good. Not sure where he's been, but remember when he did that Sinatra impersonation? That was really funny stuff. None of the paratroopers broke anything. So the Phillies home opener could have been a lot worse. You know it's a rough day when the lingering highlight is a few thousand ninth-inning wise guys sarcastically waving rally towels as if it were a tight playoff game. Hey, if their team can't entertain them, they'll entertain themselves.

The sun showed up. That was a positive. Oh, and Joe Piscopo looks pretty good. Not sure where he's been, but remember when he did that Sinatra impersonation? That was really funny stuff. None of the paratroopers broke anything. So the Phillies home opener could have been a lot worse. You know it's a rough day when the lingering highlight is a few thousand ninth-inning wise guys sarcastically waving rally towels as if it were a tight playoff game. Hey, if their team can't entertain them, they'll entertain themselves.

ATLANTA - And on the third day, a voice boomed down from the heavens, saying, "Fear not, for I am with you!" Actually, it wasn't really a voice. It was Cliff Lee, and for eight scoreless innings he reminded everybody in Philadelphia why the Phillies expect to be in the thick of the National League pennant chase. For 106 pitches, he was the most dominant player on the field, pounding the zone with a two-seamer that ran away from the Braves' righthanded power and, when coupled with his changeup, proved nearly unhittable.

ATLANTA - Last year, Roy Halladay pitched eight scoreless innings and allowed two baserunners in a 1-0 win over the Pirates on Opening Day. Two years ago, Cole Hamels allowed six runs in 2 2/3 innings in a performance that elicited boos in his first start of the season. In 2008, the Phillies lost their first two games of the season, both against the Washington Nationals. In 2009, they lost their first two games of the season, both to the Braves. The moral of the story is that the opening week of the baseball season, more often than not, is amoral.

ATLANTA - The first pitch was less than three hours away Monday, and $435.5 million worth of Phillies lounged on three leather couches. The six players watched baseball because there was nothing left to do. They had waited an entire winter and seven weeks of spring training for this night. Cole Hamels, the most expensive of them all, had waited years for this moment. He prepared for his first opening-day start in a corner of the visiting clubhouse at Turner Field. But all that preparation was not enough to prevent mistakes against a Braves lineup that gashed him for three home runs in a 7-5 loss.

ATLANTA - Cole Hamels probably should have worn a helmet last month when he faced the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic team in an exhibition game. But he was working on fastball command in spring training, and he went uninjured, so all was well. Last week, Hamels was matched up against arguably baseball's best hitting team in his spring finale. The results were much better, but afterward Hamels was thankful he wouldn't have to face the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder regularly in 2013.