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 Hammel set a career high with 11 strikeouts Monday night, leading
the Chicago Cubs to a 5-1 win over the Miami Marlins at Marlins
Park.
Hammel (4-2) allowed five hits, no walks and one run in 6 2/3
innings, lowering his ERA to 2.82. All 11 strikeouts were swinging.
"He got better (as the game progressed)," Cubs manager Joe Maddon
said. "I really didn't want to take him out (in the seventh inning).
We made the mistake, popup (that fell for a hit), and, at that
point, we had to move it along. But he was outstanding."
Hammel has impressive numbers this season -- 69 strikeouts and just
seven walks. Maddon said the key to his improvement is his fastball
command.
"His other stuff has always been good," Maddon said, "but you are
not going to chase (a breaking pitch) unless you have a fastball
that the hitter has to respect."
Hammel said he liked the way he worked with catcher Miguel Montero,
changing speeds often.
"(The Marlins) are a fastball-hitting team (early in the count),"
Hammel said. "We kind of pitched backward early in the game, and it
opened up the fastball for later."
The Cubs (27-22) used a balanced offensive attack with eight players
getting one hit each. The most impressive of the hits was a solo
home run in the eighth inning by shortstop Starlin Castro, who
pulled it to left for his fourth long ball of the season.
Miami (20-32) continued its month-long funk. Since May 3, the
Marlins are 8-19.
Marlins rookie right-hander Jose Urena (0-2) pitched a career-high
six innings but took the loss, allowing four hits, three walks and
three runs.
After the game, the Marlins sent right-hander Steve Cishek, who had
39 saves last year, down to Double-A Jacksonville.
Cishek, who is making $6.5 million this season, lost his closer's
job after the first month of the season. He continued to struggle in
his new role as a middle reliever, and the final straw was his loss
to the New York Mets on Sunday. He is 1-5 this season with a 6.98
ERA.
"We're going to allow him to work on some mechanical things,"
Marlins manager Dan Jennings said. "(We) thought it would be
beneficial if we take him out of the spotlight of the major leagues
and let him get ironed out."
Chicago needed just three batters to score the game's first run.
Center fielder Dexter Fowler singled to center on the game's first
pitch, advanced on a walk by third baseman Kris Bryant and scored on
first baseman Anthony Rizzo's opposite-field double to left.
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The Cubs capped the two-run inning on an RBI groundout by right
fielder Jorge Soler.
Chicago made it 3-0 in the fourth. Left fielder Chris Coghlan worked
a nine-pitch walk and came around to score on a single by second
baseman Addison Russell.
Miami cut its deficit to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Right
fielder Giancarlo Stanton, who normally scores his runs by trotting
around the bases on a homer, started a one-man rally with a single.
He advanced on a wild pitch. Two pitches later, he stole third and
scored on a throwing error by Montero.
Chicago made it 4-1 in the seventh. Fowler drew a two-out walk and
scored on a double to left by Bryant.
Castro hit his homer to make it 5-1, and the Cubs' bullpen of
left-hander James Russell, right-hander Pedro Strop and left-hander
Travis Wood combined for 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
In total, the Marlins struck out 13 times, including three whiffs by
first baseman Justin Bour.
"We expanded the strike zone," Jennings said. "We're a better
hitting team than that."
NOTES: Marlins SS Adeiny Hechavarria (bruised left shoulder) missed
his third consecutive start. ... Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez,
appearing in an extended spring training game, pitched Monday for
the first time since he had elbow surgery 12 months ago. He is
expected to pitch again Saturday in Class A. ... Marlins RHP Jarred
Cosart (vertigo) is set to begin a minor league rehab stint this
weekend. ... Marlins RHP Mat Latos threw a bullpen session Monday,
and he could make a rehab start as early as Thursday. ... Chicago is
reportedly trying to trade for A's INF/OF Ben Zobrist, who played
for nine years under Cubs manager Joe Maddon when both were in Tampa
Bay. ... C Kyle Schwarber, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 draft,
has been so dominant in the minors that Maddon said he could be in
the majors by September. He is now with the Cubs' Double-A Tennessee
affiliate.
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