Getting your player ready...
Jason Hammel is still searching for his lost fastball command. Although he earned the victory and improved to 7-6, the Cubs belted him for three runs and 11 hits in five innings. The problem, Hammel said, is that his fastball is coming in flat over the plate, instead of coming in steep off his 6-foot-6 frame.
Baker’s day.
Former Rockie Jeff Baker had a big day for Chicago, going 2-for-5 with a double and a triple. It was his second multigame hit of the season. However, Hammel struck him out with the bases loaded in the third to end a Cubs threat.
Footnote.
Seth Smith boosted his major league-best pinch-hit average to .433 (13-for-30) with a double in the sixth.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
