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I'll bet right about now Cole Hamels wishes he pitched for a team with a good offense. Hey, wait a minute, he supposedly already does!

The Phils vaunted offense disappeared again last night and wasted another good performance by Hamels in which he yielded only three hits -- two for home runs -- and fanned eight while walking no one over seven innings. The young lefty is always going to give up his share of home runs, especially in this ballpark, but he rightly should expect that if he limits the opposing side to a mere two runs in seven innings he stands a good chance of winning.

But noooooooo, at least not with the Jekyll and Hyde offense the Phillies currently trot out every night. No one is consistent any longer. Not Chase. Certainly not Howard. Even Chris Coste has caught the futility bug.

This team still needs pitching but more and more it looks like they could use some help hitting the ball, too. For much of this season everyone has consoled himself with the notion that the Phils can survive a mediocre NL East, but lately there are signs at least one team, the Mets, is starting to pull themselves together, while another, the Marlins, refuses to go away. The only remaining consolation is that the Phils have dropped seven of eight series and still cling to first place by a thread, but another loss here or there coupled with a win by the two teams trailing them and the order of things will reverse.

Meanwhile, howsabout the Phils live up to their notices and at least start hitting when Hamels is pitching? I know he'd like that.