Hendricks gives champs a leg up
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 night 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 two-hitter for a save.
Game 2 in the best-offive series is Saturday, with Jon Lester set to start for the Cubs against fellow lefthander Gio Gonzalez.
Strasburg didn’t allow a hit until there were two outs in the sixth. Javier Baez reached on third baseman Anthony Rendon’s error to start the inning and was sacrificed to second by Hendricks. One out later, Bryant drove in the first run with a single to right-center and went to second when Bryce Harper missed the cutoff man.
The next batter, Rizzo, singled to right in front of a diving Harper to make it 2-0.
Strasburg dialed up his fastball to 97 mph and mixed in an unhittable changeup. To cheers of “Let’s go, Strasburg!” from many in a sellout crowd of 43,898, he struck out 10 to set a playoff record for the Expos-Nationals franchise.
In only his second postseason appearance, the righthander showed precisely the sort of power and poise that made him the No. 1 pick of baseball’s amateur draft in 2009. Until the sixth inning, that is.
Until then, the Cubs managed only one baserunner, and that was via a walk. But Baez led off with a bouncer that Rendon gloved, then bobbled while trying to transfer it to his throwing hand.
After Hendricks’ bunt moved Baez to second, 2016 NL MVP Bryant lined Strasburg’s 60th pitch to right-center for the game’s first run. Harper’s throw was high, and Bryant went to second. Two pitches later, Rizzo sent a sinking shot to right, where Harper came up short of a diving catch, and suddenly it was 2-0.
Strasburg allowed just those two unearned runs in seven innings, with three hits and one walk.
“We waited him out, and we took advantage of opportunities,” Rizzo said.