Back to school: Hendricks corrects flaws, delivers vintage outing for Cubs
Working out some pitching flaws can't be much different than feeling overwhelmed in a Dartmouth calculus class, right?
You study, get help if needed and eventually figure it out.
“I wouldn't say I had great study habits there, so I don't know if it goes back to that,” Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks said of his college years.
Speaking of going back in time, Hendricks delivered a vintage performance in his return to the Cubs starting rotation Wednesday, complete with walk-off standing ovation.
Hendricks gave up just 2 hits and 1 run in 5⅔ innings, with 8 strikeouts. There were some bullpen adventures once again, but the Cubs held on for a 6-5 win over San Francisco at Wrigley Field and Hendricks was credited with the victory.
After a disastrous start to the season and his first stint in the bullpen, Hendricks was in complete command. The Giants didn't get their first hit until the sixth inning.
“The great thing about Kyle is he never stops trying to figure it out,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He's open to changing things, getting better, making adjustments.
“With his accomplishments and his career, it's easy to say, 'This is the way I've done it.' I think Kyle's real gift is he's just open and he's willing to make those adjustments and make changes.”
An Ivy League mind has been useful throughout his career, since Hendricks rarely hits 90 mph on the radar gun. One adjustment in this game was using the curveball more often, which he credited to catcher Miguel Amaya.
“Miggy's been so dialed in,” Hendricks said. “He's been calling such a good game. It's allowing me to get out of my own way.
“He's calling a lot of curveballs for me, just a good mix, throwing heaters up. Things I wouldn't normally do, probably. But if it's unpredictable to me, I think that's a good thing right now. It's unpredictable for the hitters too.”
Hendricks became the sixth Cubs pitcher since the expansion era to reach 1,500 innings with the team, joining Fergie Jenkins, Rick Reuschel, Greg Maddux, Carlos Zambrano and Bill Hands.
Hendricks had just two relief appearances in his big-league career prior to this season, then had five in the past month. But he credited the bullpen role with making him a better pitcher.
“I learned a ton, to be honest,” he said. “Completely different perspective. It was honestly so enjoyable sitting down there, being with that group, being with the guys, with the possibility of being in every game.
“It's just different. To stay locked in on the game, pitch to pitch, watch what's going on. Those guys taught me so much out there. So I feel like I got better just sitting down there and hanging out and talking to them.”
The Cubs hadn't won a series of at least three games since they took two out of three in Pittsburgh on May 10-12, so this victory and series win over the Giants was an accomplishment.
Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson hit the first set of back-to-back home runs for the Cubs this season in the fourth inning. The Cubs went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position, but Swanson delivered a two-out, 2-run single in the seventh to provide some breathing room. The Cubs also scored 2 runs on San Francisco errors.
Swanson got in a rundown with runners on first and third, and when the Giants dropped the ball trying to apply the tag, Christopher Morel scored from third to make it a 6-1 lead. That run turned out to be the game-winner when former Cub Jorge Soler hit a grand slam off Tyson Miller in the eighth.
“Well, I was trying to steal, but apparently I'm slow now and was going to be out by probably a decent margin,” Swanson said. “At that point I guess baseball instincts just took over.”
Colten Brewer gave up 2 walks in the ninth but hung on to record his first major-league save. According to baseball-reference.com, Brewer had been 0-for-2 in save opportunities in the big leagues. One blown save was with Boston in 2019 and the other on May 12 at Pittsburgh, a game the Cubs ended up winning.
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