Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (6/22/21): Cubs 7, Indians 1 – Hendricks Keeps Rolling, Bats Awaken as Cubs Salvage Split

Kyle Hendricks squared off against Cleveland in the series finale as he went for his eighth straight win and quality start. In his previous seven outings, Hendricks went 7-0 with a 2.45 ERA.

He was brilliant once again tonight,  pitching six scoreless innings and allowing four hits with six strikeouts and no walks.

Kris Bryant opened the scoring in the 4th with a solo shot to center, his 14th of the year. The Cubs increased their lead to 5-0 in the 6th thanks to RBI knocks from Joc Peterson, Javier Báez, and Willson Contreras.

Ryan Tepera gave one up to Cleveland in the 8th, but the Cubs responded emphatically when Contreras and Patrick Wisdom launched back-to-back jacks in the bottom of the inning.

Dan Winkler came in to get the final three outs in a drama-free 9th as the Cubs went on to win by a final of 7-1. (Box Score)

Why the Cubs Won

Yet another master class from The Professor and a breakout 6th inning for the offense resulted in tonight’s victory.

Key Moment

In the 8th with the Cubs leading 5-0, Tepera allowed the first three batters to reach, loading the bases. He yielded an RBI groundout to the next hitter followed by a punchout and a fly out, limiting the damage to just one run.

Stats That Matter

• In his last eight starts, Hendricks is 8-0 with a 2.16 ERA. In that span, he’s struck out 38 batters and walked only seven.
• That was the first run against Tepera in over 20 innings of work.
• Contreras went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a homer.

Bottom Line

After struggling at the plate in their last eight games, the Cubs finally broke through tonight. Hopefully, they can ride this momentum into what’s sure to be a tough series against the red-hot Dodgers.

On Deck

The Cubs are off Wednesday and then travel to Los Angeles to start a four-game set on Thursday. Zach Davies (4-4, 4.66 ERA) takes the bump in the series opener and the Dodgers have yet to announce their starter. First pitch is scheduled for 9:10pm CT on Marquee, MLB Network, and 670 The Score.