Hendricks’ mastery helps Cubs gain upper hand
WASHINGTON — Power dominates, but the Cubs’ style points Friday night proved more valuable in seizing one of their most skillful victories in the last three postseasons.
Despite being no-hit for 52⁄3 innings by Stephen Strasburg, the Cubs’ precision-like play enabled them to seize a 3-0 victory over the Nationals in Game 1 of the best-of-five National League Championship Series.
Kyle Hendricks relied on his own dominance with a mixture of changeups and curves that made his high-80s mph fastball appear faster and, in some cases, broke the bats of the Nationals’ most formidable sluggers.
And Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, who looked helpless while striking out in each of their first two at-bats against Strasburg, came through at the right time.
Bryant collected the Cubs’ first hit — a two-out single into right-center on an 0-2 count to score Javier Baez in the sixth and snap a scoreless tie. Bryant moved up to second on the throw home and scored when Rizzo’s line drive fell near the outstretched glove of a diving Bryce Harper in right field.
The Cubs, attempting to become the first majorleague team to repeat as World Series champions since the Yankees (19982000), played near-flawless defense behind Hendricks and reliever Carl Edwards Jr.
Meanwhile, it was a fielding error by Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon — his first since July 22 — that enabled Baez to reach first base safely to open the sixth and set up the clutch hits by Bryant and Rizzo. That also soiled an impressive performance by Strasburg, who struck out 10 and walked one in seven innings.
But Hendricks, who posted a 2.19 ERA in his final 13 regular-season starts, lived up to his dependable reputation despite outside cries for veteran left-hander Jon Lester to start Game 1.
Lester, who allowed only one run in his final 11 innings of the regular season, will oppose lefthander Gio Gonzalez in Game 2 on Saturday.
The Cubs improved to 3-4 all time in the first game of the NLDS.
Hendricks, who earned the deciding Game 6 victory in the 2016 NL Championship Series over the Dodgers, never was in trouble after the second inning and continually frustrated the Nationals hitters with his mixture of pitches.
Hendricks and Edwards held speedy leadoff batter Trea Turner hitless in four at-bats after Turner went 6-for-14 with seven stolen bases in a four-game series in June.
The Cubs added an insurance run as Jon Jay, who was 13-for-40 (.325) as a pinch hitter during the regular season, batted for Hendricks and poked a double down the left-field line to start the eighth. Rizzo fouled off four twostrike pitches from reliever Ryan Madson before hitting a two-out double to score Jay.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon employed a lineup that featured Ben Zobrist at the leadoff spot and in right field, slugger Kyle Schwarber in left field and Jason Heyward in center. Maddon wanted to try to drive up Strasburg’s pitch count early, but he threw 81 before exiting.