Cole Hamels left the Phillies' 9-1 victory over the Florida Marlins Monday a stiff back. He does not think it will prevent him from making his next start.

"It just kind of tightened up on me," Hamels said. "Obviously, it got a lot colder and my body temperature kind of dropped. I obviously don't think it's that smart to go out and compete and not be able to compete at my best. Obviously, I didn't want to hurt anything. So I just tried to play it smart. I don't want to come out of a game. But at the same time I want to be smart."

Asked if he thought he would make his next start, Hamels said, "Yeah. Oh, yeah."

Hamels allowed three hits over seven innings to improve to 9-2. His nine W's tie Roy Halladay for the major-league lead.

Check out my column on delcotimes.com and in the Daily Times Wednesday about Hamels, the Phillies' spectacular rotation and the peace of mind it gives the manager and coaching staff.