April 25--It may be hard to believe, but it's true.
Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel (3-0) has a lower ERA (0.75) with only one fewer win than Jake Arrieta, the Cubs' ace and defending National League Cy Young Award winner.
"I feel really good about the whole process," Hammel said of his winter overhaul. "It's my job to stick with it and not try to reinvent the wheel or get even better because it's pretty good."
Relying mostly on a sharp slider and fastball against an aggressive Reds lineup, Hammel pitched six scoreless innings Sunday. His performance meant the Cubs rotation has pitched at least six innings in 17 of 19 starts.
Hammel credited an offense that scored eight runs in the first three innings and allowed him to pitch aggressively. This marked the first time Hammel has started a season 3-0 since 2012. It's also the first time the Cubs have had three starters -- Arrieta (4-0), John Lackey (3-1) and Hammel -- with at least three wins before May 1, according to Cubs historian Ed Hartig.
The Cubs rotation improved to 13-4 with a 2.36 ERA.
"We want to be the backbone," Hammel said. "We want to be the foundation. I feel like we've done a good job of that so far, and we want to keep it going."
Hammel also helped his cause by hitting a two-out single and scoring in the second. It extended his hitting streak to three games.
Anytime Tommy: Tommy La Stella is making manager Joe Maddon look wise after Maddon suggested in spring training that La Stella could fall out of bed and hit at 3 a.m.
La Stella, making only his fourth start and his first at the leadoff spot, sparked the offense with two doubles and a home run.
"He loves 1-2 counts, and he loves them at 3 o'clock in the morning," Maddon quipped.
Dress up time: The Cubs will hold their first theme trip when they visit the Pirates on May 2-4. Maddon said details of their attire will be revealed later this week.
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