Cubs beat Pirates as Kyle Hendricks returns from the IL: 'Felt good to keep the boys in a game'

Gene J. Puskar/AP Photos

PITTSBURGH – The Cubs had seen progress from Kyle Hendricks in his rehab starts – not only in his health but in his mechanics and pitch execution. But if the Cubs’ injury bug hadn’t kept spreading through the pitching staff, he would have had at least one more start in Triple-A to refine his mechanics.

His timeline accelerated, what could the team expect from the veteran right-hander? His performance Sunday in the Cubs’ 5-4 extra-innings win against the Pirates was just about the best-case scenario.

“It's just so important for us right now with the injuries to have him pitch like that,” manager Craig Counsell said after Hendricks tossed five innings of one-run ball. “Most of all, just happy for Kyle.”

Hendricks didn’t allow a runner into scoring position until the fourth inning, when he surrendered a solo homer to Oneil Cruz. Then he issued walks to the next two batters he faced.

It was an inflection point in his start.

Hendricks responded by striking out Jared Triolo on a changeup on the outside corner. Then with another changeup, he induced Rowdy Tellez to hit a soft comebacker to get out of the inning.

“That mental cue of just locking in on a pitch, committing to the glove and throwing through it,” Hendricks said. “No extra thoughts. Not trying to make something more nasty, or trying to pinpoint and make a perfect pitch. Just making a good pitch and living with the results.”

The results, overall, were promising – especially compared to Hendricks’ struggles to begin the season, when he logged a 12.00 ERA in five starts before landing on the IL (strained lower back).

He held the Pirates to two hits. And none of the four batters he walked came around to score.

“I just appreciate all the support I've gotten from all my teammates, all the staff here,” Hendricks said. “They're all behind me 100%, and it just feels really good to have that.”

In two rehab starts, the Cubs were tracking Hendricks’ mechanical adjustments, pitch shapes and quality of contact. And they were encouraged by what they saw.

“What he did so well last year when he was coming back from the shoulder injury was really hone in on his arm path, how he wanted it to work, getting it up really tight to his ear so that he could get on top of the baseball,” Cubs pitching coach told the Sun-Times. “And when it doesn't get there, it's really hard for him to drive balls down in the strike zone. So they tend to be flatter, they tend to be up a little bit more, even the down ones don't quite have the same depth. So we were seeing that a lot more.”

Hendricks’ work will continue back in the majors. But for the first time all season, he was a big part of a Cubs victory.

“It just felt good to keep the boys in a game,” he said, “and give us a chance to win.”

Through regulation, the score was tied at 2-2 – thanks to a two-run homer from Cubs cleanup hitter Christopher Morel in the first inning and a run-savind stop by shortstop Nico Hoerner in the bottom of the ninth.

Then, in the 10th, the Cubs rallied for three runs. Cody Bellinger provided an RBI single, Patrick Wisdom mashed a solo home run, and Mike Tauchman scored on a passed ball. It proved to be just enough for the Cubs to claim the rubber match.

“It's a testament to the resiliency and the consistency of our team, but also in the lineup,” said Wisdom, who went 3-for-4. “Putting together good at-bats, hitting the ball hard, not letting the hard-hit balls that are caught discourage us, and just keep putting traffic on the bases.”