Cubs' Hendricks still sore, won't start in Pittsburgh

NEW YORK - Right-handed pitcher Kyle Hendricks will not start for the Cubs in Pittsburgh this weekend after all.

Hendricks, who is on the 10-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right hand, threw at Citi Field Tuesday, and manager Joe Maddon said there was still soreness.

"It didn't go good," Maddon said. "He still felt it. "We want him to throw a baseball and just feel the baseball and not feel anything in his hand. So we're pushing it back again. There's no definitive time frame, no finish line, just that he's not ready."

For the Friday-Sunday series in Pittsburgh, the Cubs will go with Eddie Butler, Jake Arrieta and John Lackey as their starting pitchers. Arrieta has been bothered with a cut on his pitching thumb, but word is that he is good to go.

Hendricks said last week he had an MRI for the discomfort he is feeling in the back of his middle finger. Maddon said the Cubs will re-evaluate and that further tests aren't out of the question.

"Kyle, of course, is disappointed," Maddon said. "We all thought it would be pretty good by today, but it wasn't. I don't think it's awful, either."

Continuing to stockpile arms:

The Cubs continue to go heavy on pitching in the amateur draft. After taking three pitchers in the first two rounds on Monday, they went with two more pitchers Tuesday before taking a position player.

Their first-round picks were college lefty Brendon Little and college right-hander Alex Lange with the 27th and 30th picks in the first round. In the second round, they went with right-hander Cory Abbott out of Loyola Marymount. After that, they chose right-hander Keegan Thompson out of Auburn and righty Erich Uelmen from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

It wasn't until the fifth round that they took a position player, Nelson Velazquez, an outfielder out of PJ Education School in Puerto Rico.

Of the 11 players the Cubs took in the first 10 rounds, eight are pitchers and three are position players. The draft concludes Wednesday with rounds 11-40.

Big honor Pat Hughes:

Cubs radio broadcaster Pat Hughes was inducted into the Irish-American Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday at Foley's NY Pub and Restaurant in Manhattan.

Among those inducted with Hughes was former big-league pitcher Al Leiter.

"My father went into an Irish pub many years ago and said as soon as he walked in every person in there looked exactly like him," Hughes told the gathering. "So that must mean I have quite a bit of Irish blood.

"It's a tremendous honor. To go in with Al Leiter, I saw him pitch many, many great games. If I'm not mistaken, I think I saw (Leiter's) big-league debut at Yankee Stadium when I was broadcasting for the Milwaukee Brewers."