strikeout pitcher, he was able to work out of jams last year with opportune Ks.

Which brings us to yesterday. In 5.1 innings, Happ walked six batters while recording zero strikeouts. It was the first time in his career that he finished a start without a single strikeout. And the six walks tied a career-high.

The fact that he escaped without allowing a single earned run is not unprecedented, but it's pretty damn rare. In fact, Happ's performance was just the 12th time in the integration era in which a starting pitcher walked at least six and struck out none without allowing an earned run, according to data compiled by Baseball-Reference.com. Ten of those 12 starts lasted longer than Happ's. In short: it's hard to walk six batters in 5.1Hamels to abandon his curve ball.

Well, through two games, Hamels has thrown twice more cutters than curve balls. And just 52 percent of his pitches have been fastballs.

He has thrown just 12 curveballs, nine of them for balls, and one for a called strike (according to an unofficial tally).

EDIT: I'd initially written that he threw 11 curves, none for a called strike. He has actually thrown 12 curveballs, three for balls, one for a called strike.

Hamels has had some success with his cutter. Of the 27 he has thrown, only two have resulted in hits. Twenty have resulted in strikes, including five called, three swings, and seven foul balls.

But he has never pitched with a cutter before. And logic would seem to indicate that it will take him