Cubs pitcher Hendricks ready to begin minor-league rehab assignment
After throwing 3 innings in an extended spring training game Saturday, Kyle Hendricks is ready to join one of the Cubs' minor league teams to begin a rehab assignment.
"Yeah, he looked really good, felt good," Cubs manager David Ross said Sunday. "Hit a couple benchmarks, feels great. He'll throw a bullpen Tuesday and be off for a rehab assignment. He might even throw that bullpen somewhere. We haven't lined that up yet. We're going to check weather and where everybody's at and send him off here real soon."
The Triple A Iowa Cubs have been dealing with some tough weather with road trips in St. Paul and Buffalo, so an assignment with Double A Tennessee might be a better option.
Hendricks last pitched in a big league game last season on July 5 and has been working to rehab a right shoulder sprain.
Stroman hits 1K:
Marcus Stroman recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in the third inning against Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman. The Cubs quickly acknowledged the milestone on the scoreboard and umpires showed some mercy with the pitch clock, letting Stroman thank fans for an ovation.
"It's amazing, especially coming from a sinkerballer like me," Stroman said. "I'm not someone who punches a lot of guys out so it takes a few more innings to get there. Just a testament to the longevity and the career I've had. Very thankful for everybody who's been a part of it.
"Pretty awesome to get it against Freddie, who's an awesome hitter, and the Dodgers, pitching against (Clayton) Kershaw on a Sunday. Just very thankful for the moment and appreciative of it all."
Around the horn:
Ian Happ didn't start Sunday's game with left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the mound. The switch-hitting Happ has always been stronger from the left side, but his splits this season have been drastic.
Through Saturday's action, he was hitting .357 from the left side and .158 from the right side. Over his career, the batting averages are close to even, while Happ has hit 91 home runs as a lefty and just 15 from the right. ... Dodgers star Mookie Betts made his first career start at shortstop Sunday. He's typically in right field, but has played second base at times. Before the game, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said he wanted to load the outfield with left-handed hitters against Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman.
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