Cole Hamels took a couple of starts to get comfortable in his new surroundings in Texas, but after the Rangers lost his two first starts with his new club following the deadline deal from Philadelphia, the Rangers have enjoyed their Hamels outings.
His defeat of the Mariners on Saturday night was the seventh straight Hamels start the Rangers have won, and he improved to 4-1 as a Ranger in his ninth start for the club. And on Saturday, Hamels finally put together a pristine outing.
The veteran lefty worked seven innings, striking out 12 batters and walking none with the only damage coming on a solo home run early in the game.
It was only Hamels' third start of the year — whether in Philly or Texas — that saw him go without a walk, and it was by far his highest strikeout total in such a game. Another encouraging part of the outing was the fact it was against Seattle, a team that had gotten to him in three previous outings since joining the Rangers. The Mariners are plenty familiar with Hamels now, as Saturday was his fourth start against them in less than two months, and yet they had no answer for him.
Next up for Hamels is the series opener in Houston on Friday in what should be another series with the AL West lead on the line, and the Rangers wouldn't have it any other way.
