Hamels locked in, bats Locke-d down in loss to Bucs

Cole Hamels looks on after Gaby Sanchez' eighth-inning home run.

If the Phillies are going to win, they need to hit. As Charlie Manuel said after a 5-0 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday, Ryan Howard has to hit, Chase Utley has to hit and Jimmy Rollins has to hit.

Neither of them did that on Tuesday.

Four hits was all the Phillies could manage as the offense wasted another superb start from Cole Hamels. It wasn't enough to save Hamels from his first 0-3 start to a season in his career, as the Phillies fell to the Pirates, 2-0, on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Hamels worked around a few jams early in the game while Pirates' starter Jeff Locke pitched a brilliant game as well. Finally the Pirates broke through in the fourth.

A lead-off infield single by Neil Walker led to the first run of the game as Brandon Inge lined an RBI double to the gap in right-center field. 

The Phillies had a great chance to respond in the fifth after a lead-off triple by John Mayberry Jr. But after Domonic Brown was hit by a pitch, Ben Revere grounded one right to short and Mayberry was nailed at the plate. The decision to come home was wrong on Mayberry's part, but after a wild at-bat that led to Brown's hit-by-pitch, Revere hacked at the first pitch. The Phillies failed to score in the inning.

Hamels was locked in from there with the exception of one batter. Gaby Sanchez stepped up in the eighth and hit a routine fly ball that carried out to right for a solo home run.

The Phillies stranded two more of their seven runners left on base in the eighth before the Pirates bullpen, capped by closer Jason Grilli, finished the job with a easy ninth inning.

The Phillies saw their two-game winning streak snapped and fell to 9-12 on the season.

They return to face the Pirates on Wednesday night in the third game of the four-game series. Cliff Lee starts against Wandy Rodriguez.

Kevin Durso is a contributor for Philliedelphia. You can follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.