(670 The Score) Being staked to an early four-run cushion against the ace of the reigning World Series champions is helpful for any big league pitcher.
Such was the case for Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who fired a complete game in his team's 7-1 win against the Dodgers at Wrigley Field on Tuesday afternoon in the opener of a split doubleheader. After Hendricks threw a scoreless top of the first, the Cubs hammered Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw in the bottom half, staking Hendricks to a 4-0 lead when he went back out for the top of the second.
Hendricks took it from there, handling the entirety of the seven-inning game. He scattered seven hits while striking out six and walking one. His only blemish was allowing a solo homer with the game out of reach in the seventh.
Hendricks was off to a rough start to the season, entering the day with a 7.54 ERA and having allowed an MLB-high 10 homers.
"I just did a much better job today with the tempo going pitch to pitch," Hendricks said. "(Catcher Willson Contreras) had me locked in from the beginning. The boys putting up four runs early gave me the confidence to go attack, which I have been trying to do better.
"The timing out of the glove is big for me. Just focus on making a good pitch, not a perfect pitch. Overall, it felt better."
Hendricks' seven innings marked the longest outing by a Cubs pitcher this season, and he lowered his ERA to 6.07. Finding his fastball command has been a season-long search for Henrdricks, who improved in that regard Tuesday.
"First-pitch strikes made the start better overall," Hendricks said. "We have been doing a lot of work with the fastball, just trying to simplify it a little bit. We have tried not to do too much extra – just simplify it and get the ball to the bottom of the zone. I saw much better command today on my sinker and changeup as well. There is still a lot of room for improvement. I still made some bad pitches I got away with."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
