PITTSBURGH — The Cubs had seen progress from right-hander Kyle Hendricks in his rehab starts, not only in his health but in his mechanics and pitch execution. But if the injury bug hadn’t kept spreading through their pitching staff, he would have made at least one more start for Triple-A Iowa.
With his timeline accelerated, what could the Cubs expect from him Sunday? His performance in their 5-4, 10-inning victory against the Pirates was just about the best-case scenario.
‘‘It’s just so important for us right now with the injuries to have him pitch like that,’’ manager Craig Counsell said after Hendricks yielded one run in five innings. ‘‘Most of all, just happy for Kyle.’’
Hendricks didn’t allow a runner into scoring position until the fourth, when he surrendered a solo home run to Oneil Cruz. Then he issued walks to the next two batters he faced.
It was an inflection point in his start.
Hendricks responded by striking out Jared Triolo on a changeup on the outside corner. Then he induced Rowdy Tellez to hit a soft comebacker on another changeup to get out of the inning.
‘‘That mental cue of just locking in on a pitch, committing to the glove and throwing through it,’’ Hendricks said. ‘‘No extra thoughts. Not trying to make something more nasty or trying to pinpoint and make a perfect pitch. Just making a good pitch and living with the results.’’
The overall results were promising, especially compared to Hendricks’ struggles to begin the season, when he logged a 12.00 ERA in five starts before landing on the 15-day injured list with a strained lower back.
He held the Pirates to two hits, and none of the four batters he walked came around to score.
‘‘I just appreciate all the support I’ve gotten from all my teammates, all the staff here,’’ Hendricks said. ‘‘They’re all behind me 100%, and it just feels really good to have that.’’
The Cubs were tracking Hendricks’ mechanical adjustments, pitch shapes and quality of contact in his two rehab starts, and they were encouraged by what they saw.
‘‘What he did so well last year when he was coming back from the shoulder injury was really hone in on his arm path, how he wanted it to work, getting it up really tight to his ear so that he could get on top of the baseball,’’ pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told the Sun-Times. ‘‘And when it doesn’t get there, it’s really hard for him to drive balls down in the strike zone. So they tend to be flatter, they tend to be up a little bit more. Even the down ones don’t quite have the same depth. So we were seeing that a lot more.’’
Hendricks’ work will continue in the majors. But for the first time all season, he was a big part of a Cubs victory.
‘‘It just felt good to keep the boys in a game and give us a chance to win,’’ he said.
The score was tied at 2-2 after nine innings, thanks to a two-run homer by cleanup hitter Christopher Morel in the first and a run-saving stop by shortstop Nico Hoerner in the ninth.
Then the Cubs rallied for three runs in the 10th. Cody Bellinger had an RBI single, Patrick Wisdom mashed a solo homer and Mike Tauchman scored on a passed ball. It proved to be just enough for the Cubs to claim the rubber game of the series.
‘‘It’s a testament to the resiliency and the consistency of our team but also the lineup,’’ said Wisdom, who went 3-for-4. ‘‘Putting together good at-bats, hitting the ball hard, not letting the hard-hit balls that are caught discourage us and just keep putting traffic on the bases.’’
