Chicago Cubs: Kyle Hendricks turns in solid start in first rehab outing

Sitting two games below .500 heading into the second half, the Chicago Cubs’ starting rotation features a lot of question marks.

Jake Arrieta simply hasn’t been the ace we all hoped he’d become when he won the National League Cy Young Award in 2015. He’s shown flashes, to be sure, but consistency continues to elude the right-hander.

John Lackey and Brett Anderson are complete question marks. The former is in the midst of a career-worst campaign, likely his last in Major League Baseball, and the latter hasn’t pitched in a big league game in months. The results prior to his injury were hardly encouraging, either.

The team’s veteran anchor, Jon Lester, had been decent up until his last start of the first half. On Sunday, he allowed 10 runs in the top of the first before giving way after recording just two outs in a blowout loss to Pittsburgh. So, now, there are questions surrounding even him – hardly something that brings warmth to any fan.

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Eddie Butler and Mike Montgomery, meanwhile, has been largely serviceable. Butler, a former first-rounder, owns a 3.88 ERA in his 11 starts. Montgomery, despite his 1-6 record, has been a dependable back-end starter, pitching to a 3.75 ERA and .241 batting average this year combined between his starts and relief work.

In steps Kyle Hendricks, who has not pitched since June 4 in St. Louis. Sidelined with tendonitis in his hand, the right-hander represents a key piece to the puzzle. A healthy, contributing Hendricks lends a big boost to the rotation for a second-half run.

On Monday night, Hendricks joined Double-A Tennessee for his first rehab start. Throwing 45 pitches, he allowed just one earned run and two hits in 3 1/3 innings of work.

"“Hand felt great, no pain or anything at all,” Hendricks told the Chicago Tribune. “Feel was just OK in the first two innings but got better in the third and fourth.”"

Rotation questions could be helped by Hendricks

Hendricks will likely need at least a couple more outings before he comes back to Chicago. The Cubs open the second-half schedule on Friday in Baltimore – so he’s got time to work with.

With the rotation this year, it’s been almost a chicken or the egg scenario when breaking down its performance. Is the pitching to blame for the team’s woes or is it because of the offensive roller coaster where the team scores 10 runs one day and is blanked the next?

No matter the cause, the rotation hasn’t been anywhere close to what it was in 2016. First-inning runs continue to decimate Cubs hurlers. With the team eyeing potential rotation upgrades via the trade market, having Hendricks back in the mix and pitching well might put a damper on the panic surrounding the reigning World Champion club.

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If he can return and pitch effectively, the Cubs may re-think their deadline plan. The main question now is whether or not Hendricks can be back on the mound to prove himself in time for the Cubs to assess his readiness. Either way, though, some sort of rotation help seems likely in the coming weeks for Theo Epstein’s team.