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Cole Irvin, image- Jay Floyd Starting pitcher Cole Irvin has had a swift rise thus far in his pro career.  A 5th round selection last year, the 23-year-old lefty is the first player from that Phillies draft class to reach the Double-A level. Irvin opened his 2017 campaign with Class A Advanced Clearwater.  In 12 outings there, the California native posted a 4-6 record with a 2.55 ERA and a .265 batting average against.  In June, he was promoted to Reading, where he has tallied a 4-1 record with a 2.70 ERA and a .244 batting average against. Earlier this month, I sat down with Cole to chat about his success as a pro, which players (including a Phillie) he looked up to as a child, social media and plenty more.  Read ahead for that full interview... -It's been a swift rise through the minors.  Just a short year after making your pro debut, you're at the Double-A level and you're pitching with success.  Can you offer some thoughts on this quick pace ?...

In what could have been a farewell by Cole Hamels to Philadelphia, the veteran lefty tossed a no-hitter on Saturday at Chicago's Wrigley Field. En route to his first career nine-inning hitless bid, Hamels struck out 13 and walked two to move his season record to 6-7 while tossing 129 pitches to mark his first win since May 23rd. The shutout victory could also serve as an up close audition as Hamels, who has been the subject of loads of trade talks in recent weeks, has been rumored to be of interest to the Cubs, who are 1 1/2 game out of the National League's second Wild Card spot. The Phillies won the contest 5-0, led by Ryan Howard 's 17th home run of the season, a three-run blast in the third inning. The game marked the first time the Cubs have been no-hit since the Dodgers' Sandy Koufax accomplished the feat in 1965.

On this week's edition of Phillies Nation, Corey and Rachel are joined by Phillies beat writer Kevin Cooney. The trio chats about the Phils' extremely poor record though the opening half of the season, Maikel Franco being the team's bright spot and possible upcoming trades. PN's minor league insider Jay Floyd caught up with Reading hurler Mark Leiter Jr. and also joins the panel to discuss some rising prospects such as Aaron Nola , J.P. Crawford , Andrew Knapp and Rhys Hoskins . The episode, featured in the media player below, also includes a segment with hitting instructor Kevin Wilson, fantasy baseball tips and more. New episodes of Phillies Nation premiere each Tuesday at 6PM on The Comcast Network and replay throughout each week on TCN and Comcast Sportsnet.

Despite being known across baseball as "the lowly Phillies", the team heads across state to take on the Pirates in an effort to change their recent poor luck with tacking on digits in the win column. With a record of 22-39 and losers of 13 of their last 16 games, the Phillies have a major league worst .361 winning percentage. Their seven road wins are fewest of any big league team by a considerable margin as well. Meanwhile, the Pirates (32-27) , who have been to the National League wild card play-in game in each of the past two seasons, are trying to make their way in a tough NL Central. In game 1 of the three-game set, the Phils will send former Pirate Kevin Correia to the mound to make his debut with his new club. Correia last pitched in the majors with the Dodgers last August. He'll be opposed by Pirates lefty Jeff Locke , who is a terrific performer against the Phils in his career. The two clubs split their four-games series in Philadelphia last month. F...

The PhoulBallz Podcast is back with episode 71. On the latest edition of the show, Tug and Jay are joined by Phillies rookie hurler Mario Hollands , who discusses his first season in the big leagues, his days in the minors, Jonathan Papelbon as a leader and plenty more. The guys also discuss the rookie campaigns of David Buchanan and Kenny Giles as well as Cole Hamels ' remarkable year. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

While big leaguers and the top two levels of the minors were on their All-Star breaks, the Phillies Nation crew continued their season.  In the 17th edition of this season's PNTV, Pat and Corey discuss the MLB All-Star rosters and nominate their mid-season award winners.  Meanwhile, Jay caught up with top prospect Maikel Franco , who pledged to the Phillies fan base that his offense was about to turn around.  Former Phils hurler Tommy Greene also joins the crew for his weekly coaching segment.  Natalie and Ryann also appear with fan questions. Check out this week's episode in the media player below and catch new episodes each week at 6PM on The Comcast Network with replays throughout the week on TCN and Comcast Sportsnet.

Cole Hamels, Image- AP In what was likely his final tune up before he returns from the disabled list, lefty starter Cole Hamels looked sharp in a rehab appearance with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers on Thursday night. In a contest at Clearwater's Brighthouse Field, Hamels went seven innings against Lakeland (Tigers affiliate), allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out two and walking one. The 30-year-old threw 87 pitches, 57 of which were strikes. The Threshers failed to take advantage of the strong effort by Hamels, as they dropped the match up 2-1. The run given up by Hamels was a solo homer to OF Connor Harrell , who entered the game sporting a .100 batting average. Harrell was a 31st round draft selection by Detroit in 2012. Hamels surrendered four earned runs in 17 innings (2.12 ERA) over three starts with the Threshers in recent weeks. Sidelined for much of the spring with biceps tendinitis in his throwing arm, Hamels is expected to r...

Here's a quick review of the pitching match ups for this week's three-game series between the Phillies (71-84) and the Marlins (57-99), in Miami. Monday, 7:10 PM.  Roy Halladay (4-4, 6.71 ERA) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (3-6, 3.79 ERA).  In his last five starts, Halladay is 2-0 with a 4.28 ERA.  Halladay is 9-5 with a 3.53 ERA in 17 career outings against the Marlins.  Juan Pierre is 0-for-15 in his career against Halladay.  In his last five starts, Eovaldi is 1-3 with a 3.41 ERA.  The 23-year-old Eovaldi has a 0-4 record with a 5.40 ERA in five career starts against the Phils.  Carlos Ruiz is 4-for-8 (.500 avg) with three doubles and two RBI in his career against Eovaldi. Tuesday, 7:10 PM.  Zach Miner (0-1, 3.22 ERA) vs. Henderson Alvarez (4-5, 4.05 ERA).   Miner posted a 3.90 ERA in 27 appearances with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season.  Opponents are batting .262 against Miner in 14 big league outings this ye...

The Phillies (71-81) will close out their home schedule this weekend as the division rival Mets (68-84) visit for a three-game series.  Far removed from the playoff picture, the two teams will battle for third place in the National League East division. In nine of the 16 meetings between the these clubs this year, the Phils have been victorious. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and loads more information from this series. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-3, 6.12 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (8-13, 3.48 ERA).   Matsuzaka allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his last start against the Phils on August 28th.  Matsuzaka is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in two road starts this year.  In his last nine starts, Hamels is 4-0 with a 2.18 ERA.  Hamels is 7-12 with a 4.29 ERA in 25 career starts against the Mets.  In 16 home starts this year, Hamels has a 3-6 record with a 3.55 ERA. Saturday, 7:05 PM.  Dillon Gee (11-10, 3.47 ERA...

Without much success away from home recently, having dropped 17 of their last 21 road contests, the Phillies (68-78) will hope to turn things around when they travel and kick off a three-game series against the division rival Washington Nationals (77-69) on Friday. The Nats, who are 5 1/2 games back in the National League Wild Card standings, are still clinging to some postseason hopes and will look to lock down their fifth straight victory against the Phillies at Nationals Park. For full details on the pitching match ups and other key notes from this series read ahead. Friday, 7:05 PM. Kyle Kendrick (10-12, 4.51 ERA) vs. Stephen Strasburg (7-9, 2.96 ERA). In his last six starts, Kendrick has a 0-4 record and a 5.13 ERA. Kendrick sports a 2-3 record and a 5.31 ERA in nine career games at Nationals Park. Bryce Harper is 8-for-20 (.400 avg) with a home run and two RBI in his career against Kendrick. Strasburg has a 5-4 record with a 1.55 ERA in 14 home games this se...

Winners of nine straight games, the Pirates are faced with shuffling their rotation as they were forced to warm up the next guy in their starting rotation, Jeff Locke , before they finalized a 14-inning victory against the Brewers on Sunday. The Pirates (51-30) enter July with the best record in baseball and they'll host the cross-state rival Phillies (39-44) for a three-game series that begins on Tuesday. Pittsburgh will likely push Locke back till later in the series and use Jeanmar Gomez in the opener. The Phils lost two of three to the Bucs at Pittsburgh's PNC Park last season. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key details on this series. Tuesday, 7:05 PM.  Jonathan Pettibone (3-3, 4.17 ERA) vs. Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.76 ERA). The 22-year-old Pettibone has not won in his last eight starts while posting a 4.67 ERA over that stretch.  In six road starts this year, Pettibone has a 1-2 record along with a 6.39 ERA.  Pettibone mad...

The Phillies (36-40) hit the road to begin a ten-game road trip as they visit San Diego's Petco Park for three contests against the Padres (38-38). Losers of 10 of their last 15 games, since they saw their record go above .500 early this month, the Phillies will send left-handed ace Cliff Lee to the mound in the series opener.  Lee hasn't suffered a loss since May 1st.  The Padres have lost four of their past six contests and will counter with starting pitcher Eric Stults , who has allowed two runs or less in each of his past five starts. The Phils won four of seven meetings with the Padres last season, including a split of four games in San Diego. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key stats from this series.   Monday, 10:10 PM.  Cliff Lee (9-2, 2.53 ERA) vs. Eric Stults (6-5, 3.28 ERA).   In five career starts against San Diego, Cliff Lee is 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA.  In nine road starts this season, Lee has a 6-1 recor...

The Mets (28-41) visit Citizens Bank Park this weekend to begin a three-game series with the division rival Phillies (35-38). In the series opener, New York righty Jeremy Hefner , who allowed seven earned runs without recording an out in a start against the Phils last September 20th, will take the mound for the visitors, while lefty Cole Hamels , who is tied for the big league lead in losses with 10, will try to get on the winning track. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key stats for this series.  Friday, 7:05 PM.  Jeremy Hefner (1-6, 3.96 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (2-10, 4.40 ERA).   In four career games against the Phils, Hefner is 1-2 with a 15.68 ERA and a .448 batting average against.  Hefner has a 1-3 record along with a 5.14 ERA in seven road games this season.  Ryan Howard is 3-for-3 in his career against Hefner. In 22 career games against the Mets, Hamels has a 6-10 record with a 4.20 ERA.  One of Hamels' w...

The Rockies (35-32) were dealt a poor hand on Thursday, when three of their regulars suffered injuries.  Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki , the National League's second leading hitter, has been placed on the disabled list with a broken rib suffered on a diving defensive play in Thursday's contest against Washington.  Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez was drilled with a line dive foul, while standing on deck in that game, while outfielder Dexter Fowler was hit by a pitch on his hand. The Phillies (32-35) are no strangers to ailing stars, as the team currently has two All-Stars, second baseman Chase Utley and catcher Carlos Ruiz , on the disabled list with injuries of their own.  Additionally, multi-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay is out of action following shoulder surgery and starting hurler John Lannan has missed nearly two months due to a left quad issue. Both clubs will try to persevere as they begin a three-game series at Coors Field on Friday night. The...

The road trip continues for the Phillies (31-33) as they head to Minnesota to take on the Twins (27-33).  Losers of three straight games after a streak of five wins that gave them a winning record for the first time all year, the Phils will look to return to their winning ways against the American League Central's last place Twins. Minnesota will send right-hander P.J. Walters to the mound in the series opener.  The 28-year-old replaced former Phillie hurler Vance Worley , when he was demoted to Triple-A Rochester last month.  The Phils will counter with lefty Cole Hamels , who broke a six-game losing streak with his last start, allowing one run over seven innings against the Marlins. The Twins dropped two of three contests against the Phillies at Target Field last year. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key stats from this series. Tuesday, 8:10 PM.  Cole Hamels (2-9, 4.56 ERA) vs. P.J. Walters (2-1, 3.00 ERA).  ...

The Marlins (16-41) come to town to take on the division rival Phillies (27-30) in a three-game series that begins at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park on Monday night.  Right-hander Tom Koehler will open the series on the mound for Miami.  Koehler has yet to lock down a win thus far in his brief big league career.  The Phils will counter with righty Kyle Kendrick , who has been victorious in nine straight decisions against the Marlins. The Phillies have won six of 10 meetings with the Marlins this season. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key stats from this series. Monday, 7:05 PM.  Tom Koehler (0-3, 3.22 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 3.27 ERA).   Koehler, an 18th round draft pick by the Marlins in 2008, has allowed three earned runs in 2 2/3 career innings against the Phillies.  The Koehler has a 4.42 ERA in six road outings this season.  In six home starts this season, Kendrick is 3-2 with a 4.17 ERA....

Here's a quick rundown on the pitching match ups and some stats from the upcoming three-game series that begins on Friday between the Milwaukee Brewers (19-33) and the Phillies (26-28) at Citizens Bank Park..  In seven meetings between these two teams last year, the Phils were victorious five times. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Yovani Gallardo (3-5, 4.79 ERA) vs. Cole Hamel (1-8, 4.43 ERA).   In three career starts against the Phillies, Gallardo is 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA and a .153 batting average against.  In four road starts this season, Gallardo has a 1-3 record with a 5.32 ERA.  Ryan Howard is 3-for-8 (.375 avg) with a double and a homer in his career against the righty Gallardo.  In five home starts this year, Hamels has a 0-4 record along with a 5.35 ERA.  Hamels is 6-2 with a 3.42 ERA in 10 career regular season games against the Brewers in his career.  Ryan Braun is 7-for-25 (.280 avg) with a double and three homers in his career against Ha...

The Phillies (23-24) continue their road trip and visit division rival Washington (24-23) to begin a three-game series on Friday evening.  Righty starter Jordan Zimmermann , who celebrated his 27th birthday on Thursday, will try to become the National League's first eight-game winner as he takes the mound in the series opener for the Nats.  The Phils will counter with right-hander Kyle Kendrick , who will try to get the Phillies back to .500 for the first time since they were 6-6 this season. The two teams split 18 games against one another last season. Read ahead for full reviews of the pitching match ups and other key statistics from this series. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Kyle Kendrick (4-2, 2.82 ERA) vs. Jordan Zimmermann (7-2, 1.62 ERA).  Kendrick has a 2-0 record along with a 1.20 ERA in four road games this season.  In 19 career outings against the Nats, Kendrick has a 4-5 record with a 4.68 ERA.  Bryce Harper is 6-for-12 (.500 avg) with thr...

The Phillies (21-23) hit the road this week, beginning a three-game series against the Marlins (12-23) in Miami on Monday night . Looking to get back on the positive side of .500, the Phillies will kick off the series with two of their main stars ailing, as Ryan Howard is sidelined with right knee soreness and Carlos Ruiz left Sunday's contest against the Reds with a right hamstring issue. The Phils have won four of seven meetings with Miami thus far this season.  Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups from this series and plenty more key stats from this series. Monday, 7:10 PM.  Cole Hamels (1-6, 4.61 ERA) vs. Alex Sanabia (2-6, 5.00 ERA).  In four road starts this year, Hamels is 1-2 with a 3.52 ERA.  In 26 career starts against the Marlins, Hamels is 8-11 with a 3.24 ERA.  In two career starts against the Phils, Sanabia is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA.  Sanabia is 1-3 with a 5.70 ERA in four home starts this season.  Jimmy ...