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Will injuries/ineffectiveness accelerate Hamels trade talks?

Few people feel that Cole Hamels will last with the Phillies past the July 31 trade deadline.

St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright suffered a left Achilles and left ankle injury during Saturday's 5-3 win over the host Milwaukee Brewers.

Could this give the Cardinals incentive to pursue Phillies leading trade chip Cole Hamels?

There is no word on how long Wainwright will be out, but the initial comments from the Cardinals website didn't appear too optimistic.

Wainwright will have an MRI on Monday when the team is back in St. Louis.

What is interesting is the Phillies begin a four-game series in St. Louis on Monday. Hamels will start Monday's series opener. Don't be surprised if the drumbeat to acquire him gets much louder.

There are many other contenders who could obviously use Hamels.

The Boston Red Sox, another rumored suitor, entered Sunday with the second worst starting pitching ERA in MLB (5.35). Only Baltimore (5.52) was worse.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, whose starting pitching ERA is 13th (4.01) saw oft-injured starter Brandon McCarthy leave Saturday's win over the San Diego Padres with right elbow tightness.

Everybody knows the Dodgers are never bashful about acquiring high-priced talent.

There are plenty of other teams where Hamels would be an immediate major difference maker.

Few people feel that Hamels will last with the Phillies past the July 31 trade deadline. One has to wonder if pitching injuries or ineffectiveness of staffs could make this happen much sooner.

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