Hendricks approaching record despite soft-tossing

We know it’s recently been a bit of a rough patch for the Cubs’ rotation. Over the past 30 days, John Lackey has a 5.14 ERA, and we point that out because it’s the lowest among the quartet of himself, Jake Arrieta (6.14), Jon Lester (7.23) and Jason Hammel (5.88). Obviously, a great deal of attention has been focused on that issue, as well as trades for relievers Aroldis Chapman and Mike Montgomery. Too much attention, perhaps. Have you noticed that while the rest of Chicago’s rotation has been falling apart, Kyle Hendricks has been absolutely untouchable?

It’s not hyperbole, because it’s true. Hendricks hasn’t allowed an earned run in four July starts and a two-inning relief appearance, and he’s allowed more than two earned runs just once in his past 11 starts, giving up three to Washington on June 13. On the season, he’s got baseball’s third-lowest ERA (2.27), behind Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner, ahead of Noah Syndergaard and Johnny Cueto.

If Hendricks gets through tonight’s start against the White Sox without an earned run, he’ll set a Major League record, because no one has ever started at least five games in July without allowing one earned run for the month. Forget July, really: Hendricks would become just the second pitcher to ever do it in any month, joining Orel Hershiser, who did it in the midst of his record-setting streak of 59 shutout innings in 1988. (Obviously, times have changed; Don Drysdale had five straight scoreless starts in May 1968, but he started eight times that month. Others have had longer streaks split over multiple months. It’s still impressive.)

This is the same Hendricks who had to fend off Adam Warren and others to retain the fifth starter job in the spring. It’s the same Hendricks who averages just 88 mph on his primary sinking fastball. How is he doing this? And can that soft-tossing profile really be trusted in October, when every bad batted-ball bounce looms large?

Here’s how Hendricks is succeeding:

He’s a master of getting the right kind of contact.

If you’re not piling up strikeouts, you’d better be doing something else at a high level, namely preventing hard contact. Last year’s leaders at allowing the lowest exit velocity were Arrieta, Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel, which tells us that doing so may be a skill, …

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