Cubs starter Jason Hammel was dominant Sunday against the Padres, striking out nine batters in five innings of work in what would be an eventual 6-1 win for the Padres.
Hammel allowed just three hits and no runs to lower his spring ERA to 3.86, crediting his work with catcher Miguel Montero for part of his success.
"Montero and I are starting to develop a little bit of a rhythm so that's nice," Hammel told ESPN.com.
Hammel said his goal for this season is to throw 200 innings, something he has yet to do in his career.
"That's always my main goal," he said. "If you pitch 200 innings, as you can see with the big dogs in the league, everything else falls in line. You can't pitch 200 innings with a 5.00 era. That's a No. 1 goal."