Chicago Cubs: Kyle Hendricks’ postseason starts in review

Chicago Cubs v. Los Angeles Dodgers – NLCS Game 2

The Cubs were able to take Game 1 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers by posting five runs in the bottom half of the eighth inning. With the Cubs up 1-0 in the series, Hendricks was handed the ball against Clayton Kershaw.

With Kershaw on the mound, one would think one or two runs could provide the difference. Well, that was exactly the case. Adrian Gonzalez led off the second inning for the Dodgers and promptly deposited a ball into the seats. That would be the only run of the game as Kershaw fired seven innings of two-hit baseball, striking out six.

Hendricks did his best to match Kershaw. The right-hander lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits, striking out five and walking four. Hendricks would need 93 pitches to make it through 5-plus innings, with 54 of those pitches being strikes.

In this game, Hendricks carried on with the uptick in fastball usage. He threw his fourseam fastball 36 percent of the time, mixing in his sinker (30 percent), change-up (26 percent) and curveball (8 percent).

During this game in particular, Hendricks had his change-up working, inducing whiffs on 38 percent of change-ups thrown.

Even though the Cubs dropped Game 2, handing Hendricks his first postseason loss, the North Siders won Games 4, 5 and 6 to advance to the World Series.