Thank god for Cole Hamels.

The Phillies are not hitting right now. They aren’t scoring runs. They got shut out Monday night. Last night they failed to score a run until the 9th.

No problem. They had Hamels on the hill. For the second straight outing, King Cole was untouchable. He shut out the Nationals for seven innings, giving up just four hits and striking out 11. His ERA now stands at 2.61.

The shame of the night is that Hamels did not get the win. He was lifted after reeling off 19 straight innings without surrendering a run. Tom Gordon and Brad Lidge sealed the deal.

The Phils were rescued by pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs, who singled home the game’s only run in the ninth. Dobbs is putting up some gaudy numbers of his own. He’s now 10-for-22 as a pinch-hitter.

Look out when this team starts hitting. The Phils now trail the Marlins by a game and a half. Memorial Day arrives this weekend. It’s going to be a fun summer.