Strasburg forceful; Hendricks is better

WASHINGTON — Relying on precision rather than power, Kyle Hendricks pitched the Chicago Cubs to another winning start in October.

Hendricks outdueled Stephen Strasburg on the mound, and the Cubs opened defense of their first World Series title in 108 years by beating the Washington Nationals 3-0 on Friday in Game 1 of their NL Division Series.

Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo produced RBI singles in the sixth inning for the first two hits off an otherwise-dominant Strasburg. Hendricks was even better, giving up only two singles in seven strong innings.

“He’s unbelievable. The confidence — the quiet confidence he brings to the field — it wears on people,” Rizzo said. “Things don’t faze him.”

Rizzo added an RBI double off reliever Ryan Madson in the eighth. Carl Edwards Jr. threw a perfect inning and Wade Davis finished the twohitter for a save.

Chicago also began last year’s postseason run with a shutout, beating the Giants 1-0 behind Jon Lester.

With a heavy beard and a lot of sweat on a muggy, 77-degree night, Strasburg dialed up his fastball to 97 mph and mixed in an unhittable changeup. To cheers of “Let’s go, Strasburg!” from many, he struck out 10 to set a playoff record for the Expos-Nationals franchise.

Less than a half-hour before the game, the Nationals announced that assistant hitting coach Jacque Jones had been suspended in connection with an undisclosed legal matter.