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Levine: Jason Hammel Looks Good Against White Sox

By Bruce Levine--

MESA Ariz. (CBS) -- Looking very much like the pitcher from the first half of 2015, Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel shut out the White Sox on two hits through four innings Saturday in Cactus League play. Hammel had excellent command and was ahead of the White Sox hitters throughout his appearance.

"The biggest difference for me was delivering the ball today with my legs," Hammel said. "I know my fastball command will get even better. Today was good, but it can get even better. The delivery was so much better being able to use my legs. The work I have put in has definitely translated."

Hammel's past two seasons have been marked by contrasting first and second portions. Outstanding first three months have turned ugly for him in the second halves of both 2014 and 2015. The 2015 downturn occurred originally after he sustained a calf injury. After Hammel was traded to Oakland in July 2014, uprooting his young family was difficult for him to deal with as well.

Hammel had a 2.86 ERA in the first half of 2015 and a 5.10 ERA in the second half.

"You just have to get through it," Hammel said about his bad halves. "You have to go out and find a way to compete every day. I know what I can do and what I can offer the team. The fact that Joe stuck with me for as long as he did last year made me feel really good. I know I was better than that. Everybody else knows I was better than that."

To the Hammel's credit, he dedicated himself to a stringent offseason training program. The workouts included strenuous core exercises and weight repetitions. Staying in Chicago all winter and using the prestigious East Bank Club as his training facility, appears to be paying off.

Manager Joe Maddon said earlier in the week that he wanted Hammel to have a better downward tilt on his fastball. That pitch appears to working, as he induced numerous groundball outs and struck out four hitters with his sinker.

"I have always been a hard worker," Hammel said. "I had to make some adjustments to find a way to make my delivery crisper and more repeatable. As of right now, it's translating."

In the last year of a two-year $20-million contract, Hammel's slotted as the No. 4 starter for the Cubs this season.

"You are not always going to have your A game, you might have your D game," Hammel said. "You have to find a way to throw strikes no matter what."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.

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