When the Cubs swung a trade last season for Cole Hamels, it was to fill a gap left in their rotation by the ineffectiveness of Tyler Chatwood and the injury to Yu Darvish. Despite looking at the time like a shadow of himself, Hamels pitched for the Cubs almost as well as he had when he no-hit them with the Phillies three years prior.
Reinvigorated by the change of scenery and a mechanical tweak that allowed him to better hide the ball, the left-hander worked to a 2.