Cubs counting on Hendricks to lead rebound vs. Dodgers

Kyle Hendricks will put his impressive run of quality pitching up against a team that has not treated him well over the years on Friday night.

The Chicago Cubs will look to Hendricks to help them rebound from a 7-3 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series on Thursday night when the Dodgers hit four home runs.

He'll put his undefeated streak on the line when he takes the mound at Dodger Stadium.

Hendricks (7-4, 3.00 ERA) is 3-0 over his past three starts, and he has won six consecutive decisions and has a 1.99 ERA over his past eight starts dating back to May 3.

But the Dodgers have not had as much trouble with Hendricks as the rest of the league. The right-hander is just 2-2 in four career regular-season starts against the Dodgers with a 5.16 ERA. The Dodgers have tagged him for five home runs over 22 2/3 innings.

In two starts at Dodger Stadium, Hendricks has a 6.52 ERA. His most recent start at Los Angeles came June 27, 2018, when he gave up six runs on eight hits in just 2 2/3 innings, easily his shortest start of the season. The difference is that Hendricks was not rolling then the way he is now.

His recent success appears to stem from more trust in his fastball, while throwing that pitch up in the strike zone.

"Back in the day you would try and establish down," Hendricks said, according to ESPN.com. "But there's been a change in the game. ... It's been interesting. You have to be proactive more, in your bullpen and side sessions. You have to establish yourself up there without missing too often."

The Dodgers will counter on Friday with a completely different style. Left-hander Rich Hill (3-1, 2.40) will go on the attack with location and a reliance on his curveball, the pitch that resurrected his career.

Hill's season got off to a late start because of a knee injury, but he has been as dependable ever since a clunker of a season debut April 28 when he gave up five runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Since then, Hill has not allowed more than three runs in a start and has not allowed more than two in any of his last five outings. In two June starts, he has given up two earned runs over 12 innings.

At 39, Hill has proved to be as energetic and competitive as anybody on the Dodgers' roster, including dynamic youngsters such as Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler and Alex Verdugo.

"Everyone in here really wants to win, there's no doubt about it," Dodgers reliever Ross Stripling said, according to The Athletic. "But Rich really wants to win. You can see that when he pitches, like in Tampa Bay, when he's screaming out (expletives) in front of 2,000 people. There's not a lot of people that have that fervor."

Two of the four Dodgers home runs Thursday came from Bellinger, who ended a 12-game skid without going deep. Max Muncy also hit a home run for the Dodgers, his fourth in four games.

Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant hit home runs Thursday against Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw. Dodgers pitchers have been susceptible to the long ball: Kershaw has given up 10 in 11 starts and Hill has given up eight in eight starts.

Already on shaky ground with their bullpen, the Cubs put right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a left thoracic strain.

--Field Level Media