CHICAGO -- It's not even September yet, but the Chicago Cubs may already be the big winners of the July trade deadline as lefty Cole Hamels continues to dominate the opposition. He upped the ante once more on Thursday, throwing the Cubs' first complete game of the season in beating the Cincinnati Reds, 7-1.
"That's what we set out to do," Hamels said of pitching nine innings. "That's ultimately the goal. It's tough to do so now. The hitters are better. A lot more research is going into it."
Lasting nine innings has become a rare accomplishment, especially in the National League, where Hamels became just the 11th pitcher to go the distance (Pittsburgh's Jameson Taillon has done it twice).