Hammel finds rhythm after early butterflies

Jason Hammel had an excellent first half in 2015 and will try to establish that his late-season woes were a temporary blipMESA, Ariz. -- Jason Hammel walked the first batter he faced on Monday and admitted the problem was butterflies.

"That was Spring Training nerves, honestly," the Cubs pitcher said of the walk in an eventual 3-2 Royals victory. "The first hitter, my heart was beating out of my chest, I don't know why. I was able to calm it down and work on the things I needed to work on."

After the walk to the Royals' Reymond Fuentes, Hammel was able to retire the next three batters, including a strikeout of Alex Gordon. Hammel said his timing is still off, but he felt his fastball had a…