If Cole Hamels' curveball progresses to the Phillies' liking, manager Charlie Manuel doesn't think the left-hander will need to throw his cutter, a pitch he has been trying to add this spring.
Hamels, however, is intrigued by his new pitch.
In a four-inning Grapefruit League start March 10 against the Blue Jays, Hamels estimated that he threw three cutters per inning. He threw only four curveballs.
"I want to throw (the cutter) to the point where, if I don't have success with it, I'll put it in my back pocket," he said. "But if I do have success with it, I'm going to use it. But I still have to execute with my curveball."
For most of his career, Hamels has depended on his fastball and changeup.