by Patrick Saunders The Denver Post , The Denver Post

"You can't ignore the things that have him pitching here in this game," Tracy said when asked if the right-hander was up to the challenge of the postseason's white- hot spotlight. "This guy has been a model of consistency."

But Hammel self-destructed, lasting just 3 2/3 innings and giving up four runs. Most costly of all were the three walks he issued in the Phillies' three-run fourth inning.

Starting Hammel was one of the biggest decisions of Tracy's giddy tenure in the Mile High City. He chose Hammel for the pivotal Game 3, putting sinkerballer Jason Marquis in limbo. Marquis, a 15-game winner and an all-star, slumped badly at the end of the season, and it cost him a postseason start.

Not that Tracy was unaware that Hammel is the type of pitcher who can go south in a hurry. Tracy said before the game that he would have his bullpen on red alert.

"I said this afternoon if Jason loses it, it happens very quickly," Tracy said. "He retired nine of the first 10 hitters."

Hammel's night started out rough. He gave up a solo homer to the slumping, but still dangerous, Chase Utley in the first.

Hammel settled down after that, putting the Phillies down in order in the second and third. His fastball command - always his bugaboo - wasn't particularly sharp. But he threw some gorgeous curveballs, striking out Pedro Feliz in the second and Jimmy Rollins in the third with his big bender.

The Phillies finally started laying off the hook in the fourth, and Hammel started missing the strike zone with the pitch. In the blink of an eye, Hammel imploded as the Phillies took a 4-3 lead.

It made for ugly Baseball. Hammel walked Shane Victorino and then gave up back-to-back singles to Utley and Ryan Howard.

Two trips to the mound by pitching coach Bob Apodaca couldn't get Hammel back in sync. Hammel gave up back- to-back walks to Jayson Werth and Raul Iba?ez, the latter free pass driving in a run.

Hammel induced Feliz to hit a chopper back to the mound, resulting in a key double play. But Carlos Ruiz lined an RBI single to right, and Hammel was done.

"You can't walk guys," Hammel said. "If you do, you're playing with fire. The bottom line is you have to throw strikes. Three walks came around to score. You can't allow that to happen."

At the tail end of the season, Hammel was a model of consistency, going 2-1 with a 4.08 ERA in September and early October. But Sunday's performance was reminiscent of his early-season starts, when he struggled to get beyond the third inning.

Perhaps the frigid temperatures messed with Hammel's command, as it might also have done with Phillies starter J.A. Happ. But Hammel had predicted that cold- weather pitching would not be his undoing.

"I had snowball fights before," he joked. "I'm a cold-weather guy. I enjoy pitching in the cold. Whatever the weather is, I'm not going to think about it too much. I've got hitters to attack."

Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com

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