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Posted at 5:30 PM EST. 

7:05 PM EST. Geritt Cole ascended to stud status in 2015 by dismissing LHB as summarily as he has RHB (faced 416 of each, K'd 101 of each). Cole "slipped" a bit in second half, as he blew by 2014 innings pitched, but if that 1st half is the new baseline, then it’s absolutely all legit. However, Cole’s 8% swing and miss rate is just league average and we’re not asking the Cubbies to ruin him. Cole is front-line material but the Cubs are a difficult team to defeat.

It’s not often that a tag on the Cubbies is offered but this pitching matchup appears to favor the Pirates and Pittsburgh is also considered to be one of the better teams in baseball. We’re not convinced about the latter and Jason Hammel is very worthy of backing. Last year, Hammel was slowed a bit by a second half hammy injury, but he had another solid year. The key is that he's thrown his best pitch, the slider, more than ever (over 1/3 of the time in '15), and the results speak for themselves. This season, Hammel is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA and the market isn’t buying it because of his inconsistency over the years. We are buying it. Hammel has 22 K’s in 24 frames with a 10% swing and miss rate. With a nasty slider that he's using more often, growing command, and xERA stability, Hammel presents a solid option when taking back a tag pitching for this visitor. 

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