Cole Hamels was on the mound yesterday afternoon for the Phils as they finished up their key series with the second-place Marlins.

Which of course means the Phillies’ bats took the day off. The Phils have a propensity to do nothing at the plate when Hamels pitches.

It happened again yesterday. Hamels gave the Phils another decent outing, going six and a third innings, giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out 7.

But it’s tough to win when you don’t score. The Phils were dazzled by rookie right-hander Chris Volstad. It was actually Hamels who got the Phils’ first hit of the day with a line drive up the middle in the fifth.

They went feebly, not getting a runner to third base until the ninth. They scratched out only three other hits.

In the process their lead over the Marlins got slimmer, now at a game and a half. The Mets also won, to close to just two games back.

Hey, look on the bright side. For a lot of fans, the baseball season ends tonight. That’s when the Eagles kick off their exhibition season in Pittsburgh against the Steelers.

Think Brian Westbrook can hit a curve ball?