Hendricks turning Cy whispers into shouts

ST. LOUIS — The Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks has outsmarted hitters, and he’s done so in a dominating fashion, even if the radar gun says the opposite.

Hendricks had a no-hitter through eight innings and a four-run lead on Monday night against the Cardinals, then lost both as Jeremy Hazelbaker led off the ninth with a home run. Chicago posted a 4-1 win, and Hendricks most likely picked up a few more Cy Young votes as he lowered his ERA to 2.03, the best in the Major Leagues.

“It’s just a different form of dominance,” manager Joe Maddon said of Hendricks, now 15-7. “Everyone wants dominance to be pure force. Finesse can be dominant also when it’s done properly, like he does. He’s added a little more, he’s added a wrinkle with the four-seamer, which makes him more difficult.”

What Hendricks does is fool batters.

“He has the ability to throw something soft in a fastball count, the ability to throw a fastball when they’re expecting soft, and then locating it, and he has movement going both ways,” Maddon said.

Hendricks’ goal? To keep things simple.

“I didn’t think I’d ever get that close to [a no-hitter],” Hendricks said. “I’m pitching to contact, trying to put balls in play. You can run into one of those special days, make all your pitches — why …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com