Chicago Cubs: Cole Hamels is absolutely this year’s Justin Verlander

Chicago Cubs: A historic stretch run for Justin Verlander

One month after the non-waiver trade deadline last season, the Houston Astros pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal, bringing veteran Justin Verlander to the Lone Star State.

The move immediately paid dividends. The former MVP and Cy Young winner made five starts for manager A.J. Hinch, pitching to a 1.06 ERA in five starts. Courtesy of a 0.647 WHIP and 8.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio, the right-hander had it on cruise control heading into the postseason.

And he continued to pitch well – standing out, in particular, in the seven-game ALCS against the New York Yankees, where he took home series MVP honors. Why? He took the ball in two of those games, turning in 16 innings of one-run ball – helping lead Houston to their first World Series appearance since 2005.

The rest, as they say, is history. Verlander and the Astros each finally got their first ring and the Dodgers were kept waiting after manhandling the Cubs in the NLCS.

So, now that you remember he only made five starts down the stretch, we can put Hamels and Verlander’s performances side-by-side and see how they stack up.

Chicago Cubs: Hamels has been just what the Cubs needed

So let’s look at Justin Verlander’s five starts in Houston. Then, we’ll take a peek at Hamels again and see what we can learn.

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In 28 cumulative innings across his first four outings, Verlander allowed just two earned runs. In his fifth and final regular season start for the Astros, that total doubled, as he allowed two earned over six innings of work (which works out to a 1.06 ERA). The powerful right-hander rode the strikeout, punching out 43 batters as Houston headed toward October.

He took his earned run average from 3.82 at the time of the deal all the way down to 3.36 when the book closed on the season. More importantly, though, the Astros won all five of Verlander’s starts – which is exactly what you want from a late-season pick-up.

Shifting to Hamels, the left-hander boasts a 0.72 ERA in his first four outings – but he’s gone about his business in a very different way.

Hamels has pitched to a staggering 59 percent ground ball rate in a Cubs uniform – and you saw that on full display on Friday when Chicago tied a Major League record, turning seven double plays.

“There’s days where you get those ground balls and you get those double plays. And just, gosh, it’s surprising the matter of how many we were able to get,” Hamels said. “But they are a pitcher’s best friend. Just to see how great they stayed with it, and were able to pull that off, especially to end innings and stop rallies. With such a tight game, you can’t afford one mistake. And the guys just came through.”

That’s not say he’s not capable of taking matters into his own hands. In two of his four outings, Hamels struck out nine batters. But he’s letting the incredibly talented defense behind him do what they do best – and it’s led to tremendous success.

Chicago Cubs: A true reinvigorated ace on the bump

Back in the thick of a playoff race for the first time in years, Cole Hamels looks like the guy who brought the Philadelphia Phillies a World Series title a decade ago.

And, to be honest, that’s not what we anticipated when we dealt for him. Nor does it seem to be what the Texas Rangers expected us to get given the low return they received in the trade. But here we are heading into late August with a hungry Hamels chasing another title.

So, sure. They’ve gone about it in very different ways. But last year’s Justin Verlander and this year’s Cole Hamels are on a level playing field. The former ultimately helped his team make history. Now, it’s time for the veteran lefty to see if he can match such a performance down the stretch.