What You Need to Know:
A zippy two-and-a-half hour affair featured an improved Kyle Hendricks, who dialed up his fastball to a blazing 88 MPH and completed six scoreless innings. Gerrit Cole stymied the Cubs’ boisterous bats, but emerged with nothing to show for a solid seven-inning performance. The Cubs scraped across a run on a Pirates error, and the bullpen nailed down a series win.
Next Level:
Yes, we’re going to talk about Hendricks. The righty wasn’t his 2016 vintage, but Hendricks did look better than he has in any game so far this season. Early, his command looked iffy, as it has often of late, but he was able to lock in for the middle innings. The Pirates never really threatened against the reigning ERA champ, except for getting a pair of baserunners on a walk and single in the second. Hendricks only induced four groundouts to complement a spate of flyballs and only two strikeouts.
The encouraging part: Hendricks emptied the tank in the sixth, as he neared 100 pitches, and reached back to find 88 on his fastball. Whereas he has been around 84-86 so far in 2017, Hendricks needs to pump his fastball into the upper 80s if he’s to be effective. Combined with lackluster command, his Moyer-esque velocity has proven a significant obstacle to success. I recommend checking out Hendricks’ Brooks Baseball page tomorrow morning to take a look at release points, if that’s of interest to you.
Top and Bottom Plays (WPA):
On a night when the Cubs scored a lone unearned run, the most impactful plays were predictably pitching ones. After relieving Hendricks to start the seventh, Koji Uehara let up a double to John “I’m not cosplaying as Steve from Dodgeball” Jaso (-.136). Jordy Mercer then flew out to left, but Kyle Schwarber slipped a bit and Jaso tagged to end up on third. With one out and a runner on third, Uehara faced lefty Alen Hanson.
Luckily, Hanson was a perfect matchup for the split-finger specialist. The 42-year-old righty struck out Hanson on four pitches (+.134), and promptly ended the inning with a Jose Osuna flyout.
Next Up:
Jon Lester squares off against Tyler Glasnow on Wednesday, as the Cubs look to sweep. Game time is 6:05 CT.
Lead photo courtesy Charles LeClaire—USA Today Sports