Chicago Needs A Hero And His Name Is Kyle Hendricks
The Cubs just won a 3-or-4 game series for the first time in six weeks.
Six:
Which is enough to distract me from a 4-run 8th inning so I can move right into glazing Kyle Hendricks up and down the shaft.
Maybe the most satisfying start of the year? There's a lot to choose from but I think today provides the best narrative:
- Kyle Hendricks has been awful this year. Specifically…
- April: 5 starts, 4 losses, 21 innings, 37 hits, 8 HRs and an even 12.00 ERA
- May: IL to clear a rotation spot, 2 more bad starts, 2 awful relief appearances, 7.63 ERA and .838 OPS against
- June (before today): 3 relief appearances, 8 innings, 0 runs
- Cubs have lost every rubber match since early May
- Cubs blew Monday night's 3-run lead and achieved a new rock bottom
- Kyle Hendricks slips to the bottom of an atrocious bullpen
- Kyle Hendricks is called upon to win a series and save a summer of competitive baseball because we literally have no other options. They're all injured and unavailable. The only choice we have is Old Yeller and he got put down in April.
- Old Yeller resurrects for almost 6 scoreless when you expect the least and need the most.
- Last thing on the Kyle Hendricks narrative: he is the sole survivor of 2016 and that means more the further we get from that season. And then even more when you consider how far they are from returning right now. It's a double whammy realization that Kyle Hendricks is the childhood dog. He does not romp in the yard and struggles with stairs. But he's still Kyle Hendricks and we love him because he's a good boy who no longer has rabies.
7.46 and falling…
Maybe you like spaghetti/meatball:
My point is that it was a nice game for a lot of reasons today. It takes me off the ledge for the next couple days. It's finally some positive momentum. Dansby Swanson finally has results. The home crowd gets momentum and there's an off day tomorrow AT HOME before the Mets come to Wrigley this weekend. And with all this, the hope for some magic grows just a little bit.
Even so - none of that compares to Kyle Hendricks dealing today when we needed him most. The sentimental will always trump and never more so than for a pitcher on his last legs, giving his only club everything he's got one last time before it's all over for good.
That's good shit and I want every Cubs fan marinating at least 24 hours in it. We can worry about playoff odds and Jed Hoyer's bag of tricks later. Right now belongs to Kyle Hendricks and that's fucking awesome.