Kyle Hendricks is on the mound for the Cubs this afternoon, and typically that would mean the Cubs have a pretty good chance of winning this game. But he’s been struggling quite a bit lately, having been tagged for 5 or more runs in 3 of his last 7 starts, two of which featured 8ER+ and less than 5.0 IP.
On top of that, the Pirates have actually scored 10 on Hendricks this season over three starts and just 15 IP. And, if you can believe it, they’re slashing .292/.333/.538 against him. The Pirates. The 2021 Pirates.
I’m sure the adjustment to playing for a team with nothing to play for has been weird, and he has had some tough matchups against the Brewers, White Sox (2x) and Reds (3x) along the way, but boy has it been a decidedly not great stretch for Hendricks dating all the way back to the start of July: 5.09 ERA (4.48 FIP).
Go Cubs.
Game Info
Pittsburgh Pirates (48-87) at Chicago Cubs (61-75) – Saturday, September 4th at 1:20 CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
Starting Pitchers
Pirates:
versus
Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (R)
Chicago Cubs (Lineup Discussion):
1. Rafael Ortega, CF
2. Frank Schwindel, 1B
3. Ian Happ, LF
4. Willson Contreras, C
5. Patrick Wisdom, 3B
6. Matt Duffy, 2B
7. Jason Heyward, RF
8. Sergio Alcantara, SS
9. Kyle Hendricks, P
Pittsburgh Pirates:
TBA