Hammel not auditioning for postseason roster

CHICAGO — Manager Joe Maddon doesn’t want Jason Hammel thinking each remaining start is an audition for a spot on the Cubs’ postseason roster.

Still, the right-hander picked a good time to turn things around Monday night at Wrigley Field, earning his 15th win in a 5-2 victory to open a series against the Reds.

After struggling in his five previous starts, Hammel (15-9) held the Reds to two runs on four hits through seven innings, becoming Chicago’s fourth starter with at least 15 wins this season. It’s the first time that’s been done by a Cubs pitching staff since 1935.

“He kept getting better,” Maddon said. “He had a good breaking ball, had a good slider [and a] good curveball. He had all that going on. We just couldn’t get him any runs. I just thought he kept getting better and I liked it.”

The Cubs will officially begin postseason-planning meetings Tuesday, but Hammel said that’s not on his mind.

“The way I look at it is, there’s really no wrong choice,” he said. “We’ve got 25 guys that are going to put up some wins for us, whether it’s hitting, pitching [or] defense. We’ve got a good collective group here. Their decisions are going to be really hard, so we’re …

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