Right-hander Kyle Hendricks’ changeup has been a staple of his big-league success. So it’s not a coincidence that the pitch was at the root of shutting down the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night after nearly two-week layoff for the pitcher.
against the Padres, Hendricks went five-plus innings and allowed one run while not walking a batter and striking out six.[Don’t miss] How a new slider helped Glen Ellyn native Eric Stout earn a call up to his childhood-favorite Chicago CubsBut the Cubs squandered Hendricks’ outing in a 12-5 loss, which was a season-high eight straight defeat. The bullpen imploded after his departure, allowing all 12 runs over the final four innings.
“It’s hard to hard to put my finger on it and sometimes they have a bad night,” Ross said of the bullpen. “They’d been really good. I’m not going to sit up here and make some excuse or something. They weren’t good. They’ll be back in there tomorrow night.”Getting Hendricks right is important after his ups and downs dating to the start of last season.“Kyle was fantastic, I couldn’t ask for more,” Contreras said. “He battled. He execute every pitch that was called.