Hammel to pitch through lingering pain of leg injury
Jason Hammel gave the Chicago Cubs five solid innings while pressing through lingering pain in his first start since suffering a first-inning leg injury on July 8.
Hammel allowed just one earned run, and kept Chicago in position to win, which it did, ousting the Cincinnati Reds in 13 innings.
It's the kind of quality start the Cubs are going to need down the stretch. Hammel, who wore a knee brace, reported some lingering pain, and even experienced "a sharp pain" behind his knee, he told the Chicago Sun-Times after Tuesday's game.
Now 5-4 with 2.82 ERA, Hammel can give the Cubs a big boost as he did at the start of the season.
"Obviously, it was a steppingstone for me,” he told the Sun-Times of getting back on the mound. “Things definitely weren’t as bad as last time, but we’re still going to keep treating it and make sure we stay on top of the leg.
"There's still a little bit of soreness there in the calf."
But not enough, Hammel said, to keep him from missing his next start.
(h/t Chicago Sun-Times)
Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
