Cole Hamels‘ eight-inning effort on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals may have been the sharpest I, personally, have seen him as a member of the Chicago Cubs. From start to finish, he was changing speeds, altering the eye level of hitters and carving up the entire lineup, allowing just three hits and a walk.
Getting quality from Hamels is really nothing new. We all know the shot in the arm he gave the Cubs after he came over from the Texas Rangers last summer, pitching to a 2.36 ERA in a dozen starts and even taking home National League Pitcher of the Month in August 2018.