Pennant races are like snowflakes.
They all would possibly look alike, however each one is totally different.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks has been by way of six races during the last 9 seasons and is concerned in his seventh. Five of the six ended with the Cubs making the postseason, and one concluded with a World Series title.
“There are a lot of similarities in a lot of ways,” Hendricks mentioned in a latest interview. “Every yr is totally different, simply with the dynamics and the (totally different) guys. But this one particularly has some really feel to ‘15. Just that it’s a bit of sudden in a manner, from the surface.
“Definitely not internally. We knew what we had coming in and knew the chance we had. But both years, externally, the expectations were a lot lower than what we thought we had.”
The 2015 Cubs had been a far superior workforce than this bunch, led by Jake Arrieta’s untouchable run and the maturation of rookies Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber. That workforce was solely 5 video games over .500 on July 29 earlier than occurring a second-half run that separated them from the again.
They had been 4 1/2 video games out of the primary wild-card spot on Sept. 1, adopted intently by the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. The Cubs went a mixed 23-9 in September and October to complete with 97 wins, incomes the second wild-card spot.
Arrieta outdueled Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole within the wild-card recreation that had been anticipated since mid-September, and the Cubs’ magical season continued with an upset of the St. Louis Cardinals in a Division Series. Being swept by the hated Mets within the National League Championship Series wasn’t as onerous to swallow for Cubs followers who put the season in perspective.
An NLCS look in 2023 would swimsuit most Cubs followers simply positive. No one exterior the Cubs’ realm actually expects them to repeat the success of that 2015 workforce, a lot much less win all of it as they did one yr later. Just moving into October is what issues, and everybody can fear about how far the Cubs can go if and when that occurs.
Everyone says when a workforce begins poorly that it’s early and so they nonetheless consider in themselves. But these claims rang hole when the workforce was 10 video games beneath .500 on June 8. A smaller-scale repeat of the 2021 sell-off appeared inevitable.
“It’s easy to say we always did feel like (we’d rebound),” Hendricks mentioned. “But you see the positives and the negatives. We weren’t taking part in our greatest at a sure level there, hit a (dangerous) stretch for a few month. But we knew the potential was there. It was clear we wanted to remain optimistic. We knew what we had within the room, so we knew the place we might get, and also you at all times have that perception while you’re within the circle on this clubhouse.
“Once we started playing good baseball, fundamental baseball … you’ve seen what our lineup has done, solidified itself, and the bullpen has done an unbelievable job. Those are big pieces that have carried us day in and day out. Those things show up every day.”
After a drubbing by the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 4, the 33-year-old Hendricks is 1-1 with a 2.48 ERA over his final 5 begins, rounding into type from his return on May 25 after lacking the ultimate three months of 2022 following surgical procedure from a capsular tear in his proper shoulder.
He has been counting on his fastball and changeup whereas lowering his curveball utilization, noting that he hasn’t had a constant really feel for the pitch.
“We’ve been fighting that battle of trying to find spots to mix in my curveball and use it, but not forcing it, giving up stuff when I’m getting outs on the other pitches,” he mentioned. “I’ve got to use it more. Early in my career, this is more like it was. I was really stubborn with my fastball and changeup. But I feel like I was in a much different place when I was younger, so it hindered me.”
Hendricks additionally is aware of his issues holding baserunners want enchancment. He mentioned the added deal with baserunning, along with the pitch clock and new pickoff limitations, pressure pitchers to combine up their cadence and timing to manage the operating recreation.
Greg Maddux typically bought away with ignoring baserunners in his day. He simply targeted on getting hitters out. But Hendricks is aware of he’s not a strikeout pitcher and may’t afford to let hitters get into scoring place as simply as they’ve in some begins.
“One of those little bloopers or something, and now we’re giving up runs,” he mentioned. “There is a fine line and a balance. The bottom line is we’ve got to improve and just limit it a little more to be sure.”
The Cubs want Hendricks to proceed to carry out at a excessive degree by way of the stretch run.
Marcus Stroman, their high starter into mid-June, is out with a fractured proper rib cartilage and will miss the remainder of the season. No. 2 starter Jameson Taillon has been inconsistent, and supervisor David Ross has two rookies within the rotation after demoting Drew Smyly for a second time. It appears as if Justin Steele and Hendricks should carry the load, simply as Arrieta and Jon Lester did as veterans in 2015.
That’s a wager most Cubs followers would take. Hendricks is a mixed 17-8 with a 2.88 over his profession in regular-season video games in September/October, sometimes saving his finest for final.
This will not be the 2015 Cubs by any stretch.
But because the final remaining participant from that memorable season, Hendricks can remind the others the way it was executed.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com