Cole Hamels leads Phillies on combined no-hitter

ATLANTA -- On Labor Day, Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia bullpen spread the workload on a no-hitter.

Hamels and three relievers combined on the season's fourth no-hitter, blanking the Braves, 7-0, and giving a last-place team a rare reason to celebrate.

It was all the more unusual in that Hamels left the game with his bid intact after six innings. He was fine with the decision, too, already having thrown 108 pitches on a hot afternoon at Turner Field.

"Just understanding the situation, every time I went out there, I was battling control issues," Hamels said. "I wasn't getting ahead of guys. Walking the leadoff hitter will put you in a lot of trouble."

Hamels (8-6) struck out seven, matched a season high with five walks and hit a batter.

Relievers Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon each pitched a perfect inning to close out the 11th combined no-hitter in major-league history.

"I think having a combined no-hitter is very difficult," Hamels said, "because guys have to come right in and get the guys out no matter what the situation is. It's a little more dramatic to be able to see that you're trying to play the cards as best you can against the lineup."

Manager Ryne Sandberg knew Hamels was spent. Their discussion was a quick one. "It didn't take long," he said. "He was pretty well spent . . . He wasn't going to go nine and he ran the bases the inning before."

Said Papelbon, "I think it's a cool experience. It's definitely been a rough go at it this year for our ballclub. Something to kind of hang our hat on."