1. That was weird.
Kyle Hendricks giving up four home runs in the first inning is something that, given enough first innings, will eventually happen. He’s had an odd start to the season, and I’m not particularly worried about him, though it’d be nice to see him turn in a good start his next time out there. Overall, it just seemed like one of those games. It’s a tough offense to pitch against, and Hendricks and Alec Mills and Ryan Tepera will all have a bad outing here and there. It’d be easy to shrug tonight off were the Cubs playing well, but paradoxically, it’s harder to do that with them playing poorly.
2. It looked good for a bit there, still.
The Cubs tagged Bryse Wilson. Which is great, and we’ll get to that. But the fact the Cubs went down 6-0 and immediately made the game one where one could say, “hey, they might win this,” is a good sign.
3. The hitting was good.
The runs didn’t come, but the Cubs hit the ball hard. Anthony Rizzo had a great night. Joc Pederson got some results while continuing to hit the ball hard. Kris Bryant got on base twice. It was not a bad night at the plate for the Cubs, which is encouraging. It was against Bryse Wilson, and no offense to Wilson but the Cubs probably have to face Jacob deGrom and Brandon Woodruff this week, but it was still encouraging, which is the second straight day of which we can say that.
***
Around the Division:
The Cardinals lost their series with the Phillies, falling victim to an Aaron Nola shutout, 2-0. The Reds missed out on the sweep, falling to Shane Bieber and Cleveland 6-3. The Pirates won their series with the Brewers, taking down the Crew 6-5 in extras.
Standings:
1. Cincinnati (9-6)
2. Milwaukee (8-7)
3. St. Louis (7-8)
4. Pittsburgh (7-9)
5. Cubs (6-9)
The Reds host Arizona for three and travel to St. Louis for three this week. The Cardinals go to Washington for three before welcoming the Reds to town. The Brewers take a quick trip out west to play the Padres before spending next weekend at Wrigley. The Pirates are in Detroit and Minnesota for three apiece.
Up Next:
The Cubs are off tomorrow, but resume play Tuesday against the Mets in Chicago. Jake Arrieta vs. Taijuan Walker as things currently line up.
