On a day the Chicago Cubs celebrated a number of the legendary pitching of their previous, their beginning pitcher of the second bought caught up in it simply lengthy sufficient to steal a pregame peek at Kerry Wood on the sector and to daydream about Wood’s glory 25 years in the past Saturday at Wrigley Field.
“When I was warming up, I was like, ‘Hey, maybe I can strike out a bunch of guys today,’ ” said Drew Smyly, who didn’t last long enough to get the win, much less strike out 20, by the time the Cubs came back late to beat the Miami Marlins 4-2. “Unfortunately that wasn’t the way it worked out.”
He did, nevertheless, go away the ballpark with some associated swag — his son having nabbed one of many bobbleheads of Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins given to followers earlier than the sport.
“I saw him after the game with a Fergie bobblehead, so we’ll take that home,” Smyly mentioned.
The biggest pitcher in franchise historical past later was proven on the video board between innings to a rousing ovation. The biggest pitching efficiency in franchise historical past bought a number of ovations, not the least of which got here when Wood, carrying a Murphy’s Bleachers T-shirt, was proven on the identical display screen in the midst of the fourth.
Even former All-Star and Game 1 playoff starter Ryan Dempster was in the home as a TV analyst. But the pitcher who might need essentially the most to say about how a lot these Cubs accomplish this season?
He might need been essentially the most ignored Cubs pitching nice within the place on this present day.
Is it potential anybody has forgotten Kyle Hendricks?
“I don’t care if they have,” mentioned Hendricks, the Cubs’ three-time opening-day starter who had what he described as one among his best bullpen classes Saturday forward of his subsequent rehab begin Tuesday in Iowa.
“I just love pitching, man, and I’m so happy that I’m back in cleats and on a mound and in a game. That’s all I really care about. I would love to get back to Wrigley and hopefully if they remember me, that’d be great.”
It’s in all probability secure to say he could be in line for an additional a type of ovations that danger a pitch-clock violation when he returns — presumably someday in the course of the subsequent homestand later this month.
“Sure, I’ll take Ball 1,” he mentioned. “I’m used to filling up the zone.”
A few bins nonetheless should be checked as Hendricks heads into his third and fourth scheduled rehab begins Tuesday after which Sunday — largely mechanical changes to repair command points which have led to eight hits and 4 walks in 4⅓ innings in his first two rehab begins. Those have been his first two official video games since July 5.
But his once-ailing proper shoulder is wholesome and his physique robust, he mentioned — his velocity reaching 89 mph persistently (topping out at 90). That’s greater than it’s been since he received the major-league ERA title in 2016, a yr he additionally did a couple of different spectacular issues in October and November.
“Kyle’s been an absolute stud for the Cubs for a really, really long time,” mentioned Smyly, who struggled along with his trademark curveball and left within the fourth inning Saturday trailing 2-1. “All the guys were very happy to see him, and we can’t wait to have him back.”
The Cubs rotation has been its energy this season, particularly throughout a stretch of 4 straight sequence wins in April that pushed them to a high-water mark of 5 video games over .500 as late as April 21.
But for all of the hype afforded slugging prospect Matt Mervis when he was known as up Friday to assist a list lineup, pitching is the spine of most championship groups and virtually actually will probably be what tells the ultimate story of this season — particularly after a $300 million winter that, amongst different issues, considerably upgraded the fielding facet of the Cubs’ run prevention.
“Our starters especially have been doing a really nice job,” supervisor David Ross mentioned. “It’s in regards to the depth we all know we’re going to want; we’ve seen it already play out. “His (Hendricks’) influence goes to be nice. We need to get him again to being the very best model of himself, and when he’s that, for positive, to have that kind of six-seven guys that you just’re going to have the ability to depend on with consistency, expertise and all of the issues Kyle brings — we simply need to get him again to being 100% him.
“That’s a really good situation for us.”
To that finish, Hendricks known as his final two days in Chicago to work with the workers “the most important two days of my entire rehab” up to now.
With Justin Steele and Marcus Stroman setting the tempo for a rotation that led the National League in ERA (3.25) even after Smyly’s quick begin, Hendricks mentioned he feels the posh of added endurance.
“So there’s absolutely no need at this point,” he mentioned of leaping into the combo. “But it’s a protracted yr; it’s completely a protracted season. You by no means know the ups and downs you undergo.
“If I can just come and contribute in whatever way that ends up being needed from me, and I can get those results that I’m used to getting, it would provide so much for this team and I would be so excited just to come in and fit right into this group and do exactly what they’re doing.”
Jameson Taillon already has hung out on the injured record. Rookie Hayden Wesneski — who faces reigning Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara on Sunday — has regarded like he’s beginning to settle in not too long ago after a couple of early rising pains.
Meanwhile, 129 video games stay to navigate, with the Cubs sitting a sport over .500 in an upside-down division that has the questionable Pittsburgh Pirates in first place and the favored St. Louis Cardinals buried deep in final place — their supervisor, Oliver Marmol, beneath growing warmth, and their All-Star free-agent, ex-Cub Willson Contreras now not the beginning catcher as of Saturday.
The win Saturday — which included a second RBI hit from Mervis in as many days and a primary big-league hit from Miguel Amaya on a 67-mph bouncer up the center after 5 outs on 100-plus-mph contact — was two straight to open the homestand after a 1-6 journey that included 5 one-run losses.
That’s how vital pitching is.
For a Cubs crew that already bought off to a comparatively fast begin, it’s laborious to overstate the distinction including a wholesome, classic Hendricks would possibly make to a crew that could possibly be in place with one other good month to begin considering extra tangibly about contending.
“Hundred percent,” Hendricks mentioned. “We have been considering that manner from the beginning. But you by no means fairly know the way it’s going to come back collectively. But there was such a superb really feel in that spring coaching locker room. … It’s simply an accountable, super-pro group.
“We know the potential that we have with this group, and we’ve said it from the start. No. 1 is taking care of our division, and we feel we have a great chance with that, and at the end of the season, we’ll see where we end up. We feel like we can make a long, great run with this group.”
The greatest downside is likely to be determining the place he matches into one of many top-performing rotations within the majors in per week or two.
“There’s always a spot for Kyle Hendricks,” Smyly mentioned.
A wholesome rotation
The Cubs rotation ranks first within the National League in ERA and will get a lift from Kyle Hendricks within the coming weeks (video games began in parentheses):
Justin Steele (7) 5-0 1.45
Marcus Stroman (7) 2-2 2.18
Drew Smyly (7) 3-1 3.05
Hayden Wesneski (6) 2-1 4.45
Jameson Taillon (4) 0-2 5.29
Javier Assad (1) 0-0 6.00
Caleb Kilian (1) 0-1 18.90
TOTAL 12-7, 3.25
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Source: www.bostonherald.com