The Cubs attempted to bolster their roster at the trade deadline, acquiring Nicholas Castellanos, David Phelps and Tony Kemp, and now have a major in-house reinforcement on the way. As expected, left-hander Cole Hamels will come off the injured list Saturday, manager Joe Maddon announced to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune and other reporters. He’ll start against the National League Central rival Brewers, who are also vying for a division title.
The 35-year-old Hamels suffered an oblique strain in his most recent start June 28, and his month-plus absence has deprived the Cubs of one of their best starters during a crucial stretch. The club lost the latest game he started, though it still ended the night in first place in the division. The Cubs are now a game back of the front-running Cardinals, who shellacked them, 8-0, Thursday. Chicago does, however, hold a wild-card spot.
Hamels, who’s scheduled to become a free agent at season’s end, has turned in his latest quality season in a long succession of them. Across 99 2/3 innings, the former Phillie and Ranger has posted a terrific 2.98 ERA/3.59 FIP with 8.76 K/9, 3.16 BB/9 and a 51.1 percent groundball rate. Hamels paces the Cubs’ rotation – a group that also includes Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Yu Darvish and Jose Quintana – in ERA, FIP and grounder percentage.
But can he hit?
Horse has left the barn.
It’s too late baby; it’s too late.
Nope, and you can’t hit either.
He can. He had a HR last year and a HR in ST this year.
Hamels has never had much of a stick, not like Greinke and a few others.
He’s no Greinke or Lorenzen, but he’s not completely useless at the plate like most pitchers either.
Good. Because 3 runs and 15 hits in a 3 game series against the first place Cardinals is abysmal. This team is circling the drain
Hah staring down the drain at the White Sox clogging up the sewage line- a keg of drano couldn’t fix that joke of a team!
#163
He swings and misses less than you do, so it can’t be that bad..,
Will Cubs DFA Lester to make room?
I don’t really have a horse in this fight but are you and chitown311 the same person? You both root more against the Cubs than you do for the Sox. I know you do it to get a rise out of some of the more easily flappable Cubs fans on here but it’s pretty pathetic.
Nope, there is an army of us.
It’s gonna be a long night tonight. Up all night laughing at Cubs fans crying in their milk and calling into the overnight radio sports show!
8-0 1 hitter. Now that’s pathetic!
Do you have friends? I kind of just feel sorry for you. Can’t you just enjoy the game for what it is and root for your team instead of relentlessly troll on here?
Ah yes…we’re crying for being only 1 game out of 1st instead of 19 games like the Sux are. You just keep licking the dirt off our feet.
He’s right you know. Cubbies fans are well know to be softer than baby poo
I’m a brewers fan so trust me I don’t like the cubs and love to make comments. But ChiSox you really take trolling to a new level. I get the white Sox won’t be relevant for the next 5+ years but holy smokes dude..
@brewcrew—it’s not trolling that he does, it’s his job…and he’s good at it and works overtime…let’s give credit where credit is due.
The Sox will be relevant at some point—not just to about 90% of Chicago. It’s been a while—every single other team in the AL has had a .500 season since 2015. The Sox last .500 season….2012…think about that. That’s not contending, real good, etc—that’s .500 we are talking about.
Kinda like the CWS starters?
It has long been said the 1st 2 words a Cub fan learns are ‘Go Cubbies’, and the 1st 2 words a Sux fan learns are ‘Cubs Suck’! They can’t help themselves….
Stupid tends towards repetitiveness by nature
That should help boast the offense on the Cubs. Lol
I hope he can hit because it’s become apparent our lineup has forgotten how to hit.
I was reading an article and it said that in July the leadoff position has a .222 batting average for the month of July. Who had the vast majority of those starts? Schwarber did. I am sorry your leadoff man should not have that kind of batting average. He sucks as a leadoff man plain and simple. Joe says the team must put on their big boy pants. I guess that’s going to be the next road trip theme dressing up like the kid from big boy restaurants.
Waiting for this season’s version of Theo’s postmortem on how the offense broke and how the team lacks a sense of urgency.