Kyle Hendricks Brilliant, No-Hit Bid Falls Just Short; Win Drops Cubs Magic Number to 3
Kyle Hendricks (15-7, 2.03 ERA) was as good as we’ve seen him all season tonight for the Chicago Cubs (92-51). In case you haven’t been paying attention this season, that’s pretty darn good. He was three outs away from a no-hitter when he surrendered a solo home run to Jeremy Hazelbaker on an 0-2 pitch in the top of the ninth inning.
It was certainly an exceptional outing by Hendricks and sure to add to his Cy Young Award resumé. In a season where Hendricks is yet to surrender more than four earned runs in any one game – he’s given up four runs only twice so far – he’s been as good or better than any other pitcher in the league.
On offense, the Cubs did everything they needed and more with a methodical offensive outing. Ben Zobrist started off the scoring with a lead-off solo home run (15) in the top of the second inning.
In the top of the third inning the Cubs added one more run as Anthony Rizzo drove in Javier Baez, who singled earlier in the inning, to make the score 2-0.
Dexter Fowler put the cherry on top with a two-run home run (11) in the top of the fifth inning. The Cubs win tonight by the score of 4-1 (Box Score) behind an incredible pitching display by Kyle Hendricks.
Not to be forgotten in this game is the Cubs extraordinary defense. Addison Russell had his standard dazzling play, with a monster throw to gun out Jhonny Peralta in the top of the sixth inning. Then Jason Heyward, not to be outdone by Addi, dove into the stands to make an amazing grab on a foul ball hit by Jeremy Hazelbaker.
.@JasonHeyward‘s glove may be gold, but it is not a souvenir. pic.twitter.com/NgPtdTDwuy
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 13, 2016
Stats that matter
- Kyle Hendricks. Incredible. – 8.0IP, 1R, 1H, 2BB, 7Ks, HR
- Ben Zobrist had a fantastic night – 2-for-4, 1R, 1RBI, HR, 2B
- Dexter Fowler got his first home run since August 19 – 2-for-4, 1R, 2RBI, HR
Bottom line
That was a statement game by Kyle Hendricks any way you look at it. He showed complete and utter domination throughout with impressive control and location. It was a symphony of pitching in which Hendricks undeniably made his case for the Cy Young Award.
In the process of utter domination, Hendricks masterpiece has also moved the Cubs closer to the National League Division title. Their magic number now stands at 3. A win tomorrow and they will be one win away from clinching. Wow.
Next up
The Cubs face off against the Cardinals on Tuesday night at 7:15 PM CT. Jason Hammel (14-8, 3.50 ERA) will be pitching for the Cubs.
