Cubs' Kyle Hendricks out after two innings, optimistic he'll make his next start

This season has pushed the Chicago Cubs’ pitching depth, and Saturday’s 7-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels presented another challenge.

Starter Kyle Hendricks felt a back spasm that caused tightness Friday, and despite a regimen to loosen things that day and before his start on Saturday, he was only able to go two innings and struggled to get outs.

Hendricks said the tightness is something he has experienced before, but never right around a day he’s starting, so Saturday’s result was in part just bad timing. Walking was harder than throwing, Hendricks said, and as he started the game, he was hopeful his back would loosen up.

“I just wasn’t effective, obviously,” Hendricks said. “[Manager] Craig [Counsell] saw it, was trying to go out there and give as much quality as I could. Just couldn’t get extension, couldn’t finish anything, and my misses were just bad, they weren’t me.”

Hendricks’ back tightness is not the same issue (low back strain) that put him on the injured list in late April. This time, he said, it wasn’t an injury, but just fluky back tightness that unfortunately hit him the day before a start.

“I’ve had it probably four or five times in my life, but just like a spasm yesterday, where it just locks up, my low back, and then it’s just super tight,” Hendricks said. “Thought 24 hours, get on it, heat and everything, get better.” 

Because it wasn’t caused by an injury, Hendricks said he wasn’t worried about things getting worse as he pitched. The problem was the tightness kept him from pitching effectively. He and the Cubs’ coaching staff didn’t feel it was worth pushing any further after the second inning.

In the two frames he pitched, Hendricks gave up just two runs, but he was the beneficiary of some good defense that kept things from getting worse.

In the first inning, he loaded the bases before recording an out and then hit catcher Logan O’Hoppe to give the Angels their first run. But thanks to Seiya Suzuki’s catch and throw on a Mickey Moniak fly ball, the Cubs got a double play when Tomás Nido tagged Keston Hiura at home to escape the inning.

Hendricks managed two quick outs in the second, but then he walked Jo Adell, who scored thanks to back-to-back singles by Nolan Schanuel and Hiura. After that, similar to the first inning, the defense stymied a two-out rally, as Nido threw out Hiura attempting to steal second base to end the frame. By then, Colten Brewer was already warming up in the bullpen.

“As the game went on, he was having trouble finishing some pitches, so we made the decision to pull him,” Counsell said.

Cubs relievers had been lightly used the past two days because of Jameson Taillon’s seven strong innings Thursday and Justin Steele’s complete game Friday. That proved beneficial when they needed to cover seven innings after Hendricks was done.

Though Hendricks gave up just two runs, Brewer struggled in the third, giving up three runs (thanks in part to two errors). The Angels tacked on another run in the fourth against Jorge Lopéz and their last of the afternoon on Adell’s solo home run against Drew Smyly in the fifth.

Bullpen reinforcements should be on the way soon. Julian Merryweather and Mark Leiter Jr. threw bullpens Saturday, and Merryweather is expected to go to High-A South Bend for a rehab assignment next week. Counsell also said Leiter should be activated during next week’s road trip. Adbert Alzolay has been throwing bullpen sessions in Arizona, and the team expects him to be ready for his next step before long.

Offensively on Saturday, the Cubs’ lineup mustered just four singles, and it took until the ninth inning to get a baserunner into scoring position. Los Angeles starter Tyler Anderson kept them off balance all afternoon.

“We couldn’t lay off the changeup, [Anderson] located it down very, very well,” Counsell said. “He got a bunch of swing and miss on it. We took some shots in the second, early swings and didn’t get anything with some fastballs. So he just had us in between the whole game. The changeup was really effective, and it’s a good pitch.”

Offensive struggles have been a frequent problem for the Cubs all season. They entered Saturday with the 25th-lowest team batting average (.230) and the eighth-highest strikeout rate (23.9 percent) in the majors. On Saturday, they struck out twelve times.

But in the immediate future, the pitching depth will continue to be tested. After the game, Hendricks said he was positive he will be ready for his next scheduled start — likely next weekend in St. Louis — but how he feels over the next two or three days will determine whether or not he can pitch. 

If Hendricks can’t make his next start, Counsell said he is hopeful Javier Assad, who has been on the injured list since June 24 with a right forearm extensor strain, could be ready to take his place in the rotation. Because the Cubs and Cardinals have to make up a May 24 rainout next Saturday, Counsell will need another arm from somewhere.

“With the doubleheader this weekend, it obviously makes things complicated,” Counsell said. “We’re optimistic that Assad may be able to contribute this weekend, but we’re going to need all of them moving forward. At least all of the spots, plus one. So we’ll have to get a handle on that before his next start.”