Cubs starter Jason Hammel had a rough go of it in his start against the Pirates in Game 1 of Tuesday's twinbill. The veteran right-hander allowed four runs on five hits over 3 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out five, needing 72 pitches before leaving the game.
After the Cubs spotted him a run in the top of the first, Hammel gave up three runs in the bottom half and he needed 20 pitches to get out of the opening inning.
Hammel allowed another run to score in the fourth before finally getting the hook. The Cubs bailed him out however, as they went on to rally for three runs in the seventh to tie the game. Hammel was handed the no decision, but the Cubs wound up losing 5-4.
Hammel is in a bit of a rough stretch right now, as he is 2-1 with a 6.52 ERA over his last six starts.