by By Ray Parrillo; Inquirer Staff Writer , The Philadelphia Inquirer

One by one, some key actors who were having a hard time getting their lines straight in the 2009 production of the Phillies had recently stepped back into the spotlight.

Brad Lidge and Jimmy Rollins, for example.

Last night at Citizens Bank Park, it was Cole Hamels' turn to put a couple of uncharacteristically shaky outings behind him and resume pitching like the staff ace.

In keeping with the recent Phillies trend, he did.

First, though, Hamels' teammates made certain the lanky lefthander would proceed with a clear mind - they gave him a 10-run lead in the first inning. And they went on to crush Cincinnati, 22-1, at Citizens Bank Park in the most lopsided win in the club's 127-year history.

The outburst marked the most runs the Phillies had scored since a 26-7 win over the Mets at Veterans Stadium on June 11, 1985. The night after getting three hits in a win over the New York Mets, the Phils had 21.

"It's good to do it at home and get on a roll," Shane Victorino said after the Phillies' fourth consecutive win since a dreadful 4-14 stretch. "A big performance by our offense, and a great job by Cole. We got him 10 runs, which is nice to play with, but he also shut them down. And we needed that out of him."

The Phillies hit four home runs, including a grand slam by Jayson Werth. But it was the top of the lineup that got them rolling. Rollins and Victorino combined for seven hits and nine runs. Victorino, one of five candidates for the final roster spot on the NL all-star team, tied a career high with four RBIs.

"I think him getting on base does change the dynamics of the way this offense goes," Victorino said of Rollins, who is 8 for 15 on this homestand. "Having him on base the last couple nights has been great."

With such a huge first-inning cushion, one he helped create with a two-run double that blended nicely among three first-inning homers, Hamels could have given in to human nature and allowed his mind to wander. But he'd been roughed up for 11 earned runs in 82/3 innings in his previous two starts, and he had not won since a June 4 shutout of the Dodgers, so Hamels was intent on regaining his stature.

"I had to go out there and just focus on one pitch at a time and not really think about if we had any runs," Hamels said after allowing only three hits in seven innings and retiring the last seven batters he faced. "I just wanted to go deep into the ball game because I wasn't able to do that in recent games. The runs definitely made it a lot easier. Most teams barely score 10 runs the whole game and we did that in the first inning."

Hamels threw 92 pitches, 61 for strikes. He had command of his fastball, which reached 93 m.p.h. and made his change-up almost unhittable.

Since the Reds were no match, the biggest threat to Hamels was himself. He seemed in danger of tiring himself running the bases. After he smacked a double down the right-field line to bring home a pair of runs in the first, Hamels came around to score. He also singled in the fourth inning and scored.

Reds starter Johnny Cueto went into the game with eight wins and a 2.69 ERA. Obviously, the Phillies weren't impressed as they tied the club record for most runs in the first inning. It was the fourth time they scored 10 runs in the opening inning, and the first since June 2, 2002, when they did it against Montreal.

The inning's highlights were two-run homers by Victorino and Greg Dobbs and a three-run blast by Chase Utley in his second at-bat. Dobbs tied a career high with four hits.

The Phils sent 13 hitters to the plate and Cueto was pulled after throwing 49 pitches, giving up nine runs while walking three and hitting a batter.

The Phillies gave Cincinnati such a thorough beating that manager Charlie Manuel rested Utley and Ryan Howard after they fattened their lead to 16-1 in the fourth inning.

Afterward, Manuel said, "There's no such thing as saving runs [for subsequent games]. But if there was, I could save 20 of them."

Making History

The 21-run margin of victory was the largest in franchise history, surpassing a 26-7 triumph over the New York Mets on June 11, 1985.

The 22 runs were the most scored by the Phillies since that 26-7 game.

The Phillies' 10-run first inning tied a team record. They also scored 10 in the first against the New York Giants in 1948, the Chicago Cubs in 1975, and the Montreal Expos in 2002.

Shane Victorino tied the team record for runs scored in a game with five. Seven players, including Jimmy Rollins and John Kruk, share that record.

Contact staff writer Ray Parrillo at 215-854-2743 or rparrillo@phillynews.com.

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