Hendricks continues run of strong starts as Cubs sweep Pirates

There's no doubt that nearly halfway through the season Marcus Stroman has been the MVP of the Cubs' starting rotation.

And, honestly, he's the MVP of the entire team.

Yet, it's not like Stroman is holding up the pitching staff all by himself. Justin Steele (7-2, 2.71 ERA) and Drew Smyly (7-4, .3.38) have more than impressed as well.

Now, with Kyle Hendricks rounding into form, it's fair to wonder if the Cubs might be the team to beat in the NL Central.

Hendricks tossed his third straight beauty Wednesday afternoon in Pittsburgh, giving up just 2 hits and walking three in 6⅓ innings as the Cubs defeated the Pirates 8-3. The Cubs, who have won 10 of 12, swept Pittsburgh for the second time in just over a week and are now 36-38 overall.

Hendricks (3-2) has yielded just 8 hits in his last three starts (19.1 IP). His ERA over that time? Try a tidy 1.40.

"Really cool to see Kyle right back to who he's always been," Nico Hoerner told Marquee Sports Network afterward. "It's so impressive after the amount of time that he had off. It just speaks to the work that he's put in. Such an easy guy to root for."

Hendricks is the polar opposite of 95% of the starting pitchers in the league, with a fastball topping out at 90 mph and an average speed that hovers around the mid-80s (it was 83.5 Wednesday).

Take the second inning, for example. After Connor Joe drew a leadoff walk, Josh Palacios smoked an RBI double to right field.

That could have set the table for a big inning, but Hendricks induced back-to-back groundouts on 81-mph change-ups and then struck out Rodolfo Castro on an 82-mph changeup.

Hendricks retired 12 of the next 13 batters he faced before running into trouble in the seventh.

"The last few times out he looked totally at ease and in control of his craft," Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said last week. "In a game where everybody's throwing 98 at the top of the zone with a power breaking ball, it is really fun to watch someone manipulate a lineup through guile and game-planning and sinkers and change-ups.

"We don't see that on a night-to-night basis anymore."

Cubs starters have gone 5 or more innings in 13 of their last 14 starts and have a sparkling 2.50 ERA in their last seven.

"Yeah, we're feeling really good right now," said Hendricks, who made his season debut May 25 and now has a 2.60 ERA. "We really feel like a cohesive unit together - really got each other's backs. Watching bullpens. Watching each other warm up before starts.

"It's been every single guy."

The Cubs took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on a 2-run triple by Hoerner that scored Miguel Amaya (double) and Mike Tauchman (walk). Seiya Suzuki's sacrifice fly plated Hoerner to make it 3-1.

Ian Happ had a 2-run double in the sixth, Hoerner added a solo HR in the seventh and Nick Madrigal's 2-run single with the bases loaded in the eighth put the game away.

"The offense as a whole continues to pass the baton and have good at-bats," Ross said. "We're taking our walks, which we were doing early on, but we're also now getting key hits.

"Madrigal with the bases loaded with the base hit the other way - stuff like that wasn't happening for us."

Happ went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles, while Suzuki went 2-for-3 with a walk. Happ has reached base in 52 straight games against the Pirates, second all-time to Hall of Famer Stan Musial.

The Pirates, who were in first place in the NL Central when they came to Wrigley Field on June 13, are on a nine-game losing streak and have fallen into fourth. They have just 5 runs in the last five games.

The Cubs are off the next two days then play a two-game series against St. Louis in London.

Around the horn:

X-rays came back negative on SS Dansby Swanson's hand. Swanson, who did not play Wednesday, was hit by a pitch Tuesday. Nico Hoerner played shortstop against the Pirates, while Christopher Morel played second base ... Codi Heuer, who was forced to leave the Iowa Cubs' game Tuesday after just three pitches, is undergoing further evaluation. After Heuer's last pitch sailed at least a foot over the hitter's head, he hopped around in obvious pain. Heuer, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2021, underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2022. ...

Andrew McCutchen (elbow inflammation) and Bryan Reynolds (lower back soreness) did not play for the Pirates on Wednesday and are both day-to-day. ... Pittsburgh is hitless in its last 26 at-bats with men in scoring position.