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Chicago Cubs' Jason Hammel rested and ready for Game 4 start

By Jack McCarthy, The Sports Xchange
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jason Hammel. Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jason Hammel. Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo

CHICAGO -- Jason Hammel, who will pitch in a potential series clincher for the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, knows what it is like to work big games.

The veteran right-hander will work Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, with the Cubs needing one more win to capture the best-of-five set.

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"I've done this a few times now in the postseason, and I understand that it's just another ballgame," he said Monday before the Cubs beat the Cardinals 8-6 in Game 3. "I've been preparing for this game since my last outing in Cincinnati (a 5-3 win on Oct. 1), so I've had a little time to think about it, and honestly, I'll be ready to go."

Hammel's four games of postseason experience includes stints with the Colorado Rockies (2009), Baltimore Orioles (2012) and Oakland A's (2014). He is 0-1 with a 4.80 ERA in the playoffs.

He allowed a 12th-inning run against Kansas City in last year's American League wild-card game as the Royals advanced with a 9-8 victory.

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Hammel was 8-5 with the Cubs in 2014 before a trade to Oakland, where he went 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA.

He returned to the Cubs as a free agent in the offseason and went 10-7 with a 3.74 ERA in 31 starts this year.

Hammel recorded a 2.82 ERA in his first 18 starts of the regular season before posting a 5.37 ERA in his final 13. He set a career high with 172 strikeouts and tied a career best with 10 wins.

In his second go-around with Chicago, Hammel witnessed quite a change from a 2014 team that went 73-89 to this year's 97-65 team.

"It's night and day," he said. "Who wouldn't want to be part of a winner?"

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