Jason Hammel’s Tough Second Half and Other Bullets

jason hammel cubsSocial Media Night was lovely, and it was awesome to meet so many folks. Hopefully you tolerated my terrible selfies from the game.

  • Unfortunately it seems to keep happening for him, as Jason Hammel once again gave up a couple runs in a long first inning last night. From there, he settled into something of a groove, as he often does, but it would be nice to figure out what it is that allows teams to jump on him so quickly in these games. It wasn’t a bad outing in total last night, but it also wasn’t what you want to see from the likely number three heading into the playoffs. Since the early July hamstring injury, which may or may not have a relationship to any of this (but it’s a convenient line of demarcation), Hammel sports a 5.43 ERA, and a 4.78 FIP, but also a 3.95 xFIP. His strikeout rate (23.0%) and walk rate (8.4%) during that stretch are really not that bad; it’s just the .331 BABIP and 17.2% HR/FB rate that have been killing him. Some of that is him working up in the zone and leaving too many hittable pitches out there, but some of it is also flukey.
  • Does that give you enough confidence to say you’re ready to see Hammel face the Cardinals in a critical a divisional playoff series game? Not quite, but the Cubs might not have any better options after Jake Arrieta pitches in the Wild Card Game, and then Jon Lester takes the ball in Game One of the NLDS. In all candor, the best efforts the Cubs have received recently from pitchers outside of the top two have come on the bullpen days – all three of Travis Wood, Trevor Cahill, and Clayton Richard have been fantastic lately. Maybe that’s partly because of the ability to mix and match, but it still says quite a bit about the state of the back of the Cubs’ rotation.
  • More on Hammel’s efforts, including thoughts from Joe Maddon on the rotation, here at CSN. Maddon concedes therein that things remain “fluid.”
  • And speaking of the rotation, the Cubs are going to use Thursday’s off-day to skip Dan Haren in the rotation (Cubs.com), allowing both Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta to pitch in this weekend’s series against the Pirates.
  • Neil Ramirez, who has looked very good his last couple times out even without his high-end velocity, is feeling good, and says he’s ready to pitch on back-to-back days (Tribune). That’s likely what it would take for him to work his way back into the conversation for the playoff roster, and it’s good to hear that he feels he’s there. For me, I’m most interested in seeing that Ramirez is in a position to bounce back healthy next season; anything he contributes this year is gravy.
  • A great BP Wrigleyville piece from Zack Moser on the collusion cases you may have forgotten.
  • #CubsSocial:
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

    more cubs news

    Wrigley Field is Gonna Be Lit This Year (As in New Colored Lights!)

    Last year, the Cubs started using their new LED outfield lights to do a little dancing display during 'Go Cubs Go,' lighting along with the song and throwing in a W. It was very fun and I liked it. This...

    The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

    Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

    Why Craig Counsell Wanted Miles Mastrobuoni on the Cubs’ Bench

    I don't know why Miles Mastrobuoni bugs some folks, but it's probably heavily-weighted toward his small-sample, bad-batted-ball-luck start last year, and that time he didn't dive while playing in right field. It can be hard to shake initial impressions, I...

    Kinda Sounds Like Craig Counsell May Have a Set Top Three in the Batting Order

    New Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell has said, generally, his batting order philosophy is the very simplistic (and very correct): just get your best hitters the most at bats. Sure, there's some play in that to set up good match-ups,...

    Los Angeles Dodgers Signing Will Smith to a TEN-YEAR Extension

    The Los Angeles Dodgers have done it again. And by it, I mean they have signed a funkily-structured contract that is going to leave some folks annoyed. The Dodgers are extending catcher Will Smith on a DECADE-long deal with a...

    The Stretch: 2024 MLB Season Preview

    On Monday, during a team-building conversation with some of the Bleacher Nation and Betsperts Media Group folks, we discussed sports—shocking, I know—and Brian Twining asked the group what their favorite sport was. For me, it's baseball. There's no debate. I...

    We Have to Talk About Some of the “Deals” the Cubs Sat Out in Free Agency

    This week, in a conversation with Jon Greenberg at The Athletic, Cubs President Jed Hoyer made an honest and sober (but also moderately disappointing) admission about the 2024 Chicago Cubs: "We need to perform probably at or a little bit...

    The Chicago Cubs Are Reportedly Now Worth Over $5 Billion

    Given all the tumult in the baseball broadcasting world, and the uncertain future for that portion of revenues, you'd be forgiven for expecting that MLB franchise valuations would slow their recent surge. But, according to Sportico at least, you'd be...

    Reds Second Baseman Matt McLain Had Shoulder Surgery

    The injury to Matt McLain's shoulder issue obviously wound up being worse than he and the Cincinnati Reds had been hoping. The damage to his left (non-throwing) labrum ultimately required surgery: https://twitter.com/m_sheldon/status/1772993402604339478 When the hope is that a guy can...

    Cubs Actually Getting a Whole Lot of Votes to Win the NL Central

    ESPN dropped its big season preview, and included were a set of divisional predictions by way of their writers, editors, and analysts voting. There's nothing in the way of proof or certainty there, but with 26 voters, I do like...

    Latest News

    Celtics vs. Hawks Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The Atlanta Hawks (33-39) are big, 17.5-point underdogs as they attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Boston Celtics (57-15) on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at State Farm Arena. The matchup airs at 7:30 PM...

    Celtics vs. Hawks Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The Atlanta Hawks (33-39) are big, 17.5-point underdogs as they attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Boston Celtics (57-15) on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at State Farm Arena. The contest airs at 7:30 PM...

    Bucks vs. Pelicans Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The New Orleans Pelicans (44-28) are only 2-point underdogs against the Milwaukee Bucks (46-26) at Smoothie King Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024. The game begins at 8:00 PM ET on NBA. The matchup's point total is 223.If you are...

    How to Watch Indiana State Sycamores vs. Utah Utes: Live Stream or on TV

    The Indiana State Sycamores (31-6) will attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Utah Utes (22-14) on April 2, 2024. The Utes have also won three games in a row.Indiana State won its most recent...

    How to Watch Seton Hall Pirates vs. Georgia Bulldogs: Live Stream or on TV

    The Seton Hall Pirates (23-12) will attempt to extend a three-game win streak when they host the Georgia Bulldogs (20-16) on April 2, 2024. The Bulldogs have also won three games in a row.In its previous game, Seton Hall beat...

    Diamondbacks vs. Rockies: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

    The Arizona Diamondbacks, led by Corbin Carroll, take on Nolan Jones and the Colorado Rockies in their first game of the season, at 10:10 PM ET on Thursday.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV...

    Mariners vs. Red Sox: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    The Seattle Mariners, led by Julio Rodriguez, square off against Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox in their opening game of the season, at 10:10 PM ET on Thursday.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming...

    Guardians vs. Athletics: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    In their season opener on Thursday, Jose Ramirez and the Cleveland Guardians face Brent Rooker and the Oakland Athletics, with first pitch scheduled for 10:07 PM ET at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.The article below will give you everything you need to...

    Senators vs. Blackhawks Prediction: Picks, Live Odds and Moneyline – Thursday, March 28, 2024

    The Ottawa Senators host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, and are -198 favorites on the moneyline, with the road team at +164.Senators vs. Blackhawks Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Senators (-198)Underdog: Blackhawks (+164)Total: 6.5Best Senators vs. Blackhawks Promo Codes[lasso type="table" id="1"]How to...

    Wrigley Field is Gonna Be Lit This Year (As in New Colored Lights!)

    Last year, the Cubs started using their new LED outfield lights to do a little dancing display during 'Go Cubs Go,' lighting along with the song and throwing in a W. It was very fun and I liked it. This...

    more cubs news