Kyle Hendricks (Photo by Stephanie Lynn)

If 2020 was a normal year instead of the horror show it has been, I would be writing a Daily Cubs Minors Recap right now. Instead, I’m forced to do something different. I’m forced to turn my focus almost completely to the MLB level if I want to write at all this season. So, here I am, and here is my plan:

I’m going to utilize my framework for the Minors Recap and use it to do a deeper dive into the Major Leaguers. Readers familiar with the Minors Recap know that in addition to the basic game recaps, I keep track of trends, transactions, and most importantly, try to present a deeper look at a different prospect each day. My challenge now is translating that template to the Major League action, where readers a far more familiar with the players involved.

The good news is I have a ton more data to work with at the MLB level. Oh, the video and pitcher/hitter data that I dream about being published for Minor League action, even in a delayed fashion, is available in near-real time for the Majors. This will allow me to dig a little deeper than I ever been able to on prospects.

I’ll be doing some experimentation over the first couple of weeks as I settle on a layout and determine what readers are responding to and what I enjoy writing most.

Last Game: Cubs 3, Brewers 0

Game Recap

This Opening Day performance by Kyle Hendricks may rank up there with any by a Cubs player in history. Depending on your age you’ll have witnessed the Tuffy Rhodes three-homer game against Doc Gooden, or the Kosuke Fukudome game winning shot in his debut. I’ve been wracking my brain and the only game that came to mind as far as a better Opening Day pitching performance by a Cub in my lifetime was the near no-hitter hurled by Jose Guzman in his Cubs debut, but it turned out my memory was faulty because it happened in game two of the 1993 season, not the opener –which was started by Mike Morgan, who lost to none other than Greg Maddux in his Braves debut (sad face,… obligatory f— Larry Hines and so forth).

Top Performers

Hendricks did the Brewers dirty, and did so without ever hitting 90 mph on the gun. His sinker and changeup were dancing like we’ve come to expect. He mixed his four-seamer up in the zone appropriately. A nice early game surprise was the sharp break on his curveball. We saw flashes of it in his final exhibition tune up, but it was nice to see him incorporate it fully in a real game. He’s throwing that pitch better than he ever has, and if he has found a fourth reliable offering, the league better watch out.

On the topic of his curve though, it should be noted that Hendricks did go away from the pitch as the evening wore on. He seemed to lose a little feel for it, as the velo on it fluctuated the further into the game he went. This may be a sign Hendricks hasn’t fully locked in that offering, so don’t be surprised if he enters some starts this year without any feel for it at all. It’s something I’ll be keeping an eye on this season.

But even if the curve does falter in some outings, we know Hendricks can remain effective with his other three pitches. There was no better example than the way he handled Christian Yelich:

Hendricks worked him up-and-down, as well as in-and-out with his fastballs and change, inducing two ground balls while also striking out Yelich twice.

According to Statcast, Hendricks allowed just two hard hit balls all night, both to Orlando Arcia.

HIs Fangraphs Game Score of 86 was the 4th best of his career, behind a pair of other complete game shutouts against the Cards in 2019 and the Padres back in 2015, each of which rated as 89, as well as an 87 he earned in a complete game against the Phillies in 2016. His .527 WPA last night was the second best of his career, behind only a .530 he posted over 8 innings of one run ball on the road against a potent Astros lineup last year.

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

There’s not much to track here one game into the season. I already touched on the recent signings of Derek Dietrich and Ryan LaMarre yesterday morning.

New Rules

• DH count: Caratini 1
• Thanks to Cyle Hendricks the Cubs were not forced to go to their pen and have to deal with the three batter minimum rule, but we did see the Brewers deploy lefty specialist Alex Claudio in a situation where it came into play. With the Rizzo-Baez-Schwarber trio due up to start the 6th, Claudio remained in after retiring Rizzo to lead off the inning. Baez smoked a ground ball that resulted in an error by Brewers first baseman Justin Smoak before Claudio struck out Schwarber. It is easy to imagine, especially with the current expanded rosters, the Brewers would not have allowed Claudio to face Baez had Rizzo managed to reach. But with the new rule, the Brewers were forced to stick with him regardless.

The Cubs started 2016 3-0. The Cubs started 1995 4-0. Those are the only times in the past twenty-five years that the Cubs have managed to win more than one game to start the season. It looked like the 2020 vintage might actually start the year with a winning streak. Yu Darvish was shaky but escaped the first inning without any damage. Willson Contreras delivered what felt like the oh so rare two out base knock with runners in scoring position to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

But this one flipped in the second inning. Darvish yielded a one out double to Lorenzo Cain, but induced an easy groundball from Ben Gamel that should have resulted in the second out of the inning. The Cubs failed to execute the run down and both runners were safe. Eric Sogard’s two out single tied the game. Darvish would not yield the go ahead runs until the fourth inning, but once it became a battle of the bullpens it was clearly to the Brewers advantage.

The bright spot for the Cubs might have been the 1-2-3 ninth inning pitched by Dillon Maples. The Cubs are still built to ride a starting staff with a bullpen full of question marks. Maples flashed the potential to be one of those answers today, and with few positives to pull from, the Maples outing was a silver lining.

Oh that and Orlando Arcia is mortal. I was slightly concerned that he was going to pull a Kirk Nieuwenhuis this year after last night.

WPA CHART

Yu Darvish had good stuff, but he was not sharp in his outing. He struck out the side in the third inning, but otherwise had to work hard on a hot afternoon. The defense didn’t help in the second inning, but this looked more like the Darvish in his first 26 Cubs starts and not the ace that finished the 2019 campaign.

Brewers starter Corbin Burnes wasn’t sharp either. He walked Anthony Rizzo and plunked Javier Báez with one out to start the game. Kyle Schwarber struck out looking, but a Contreras single put the Cubs up 1-0. Burnes walked one in the next two innings, but was not dinged for any damage. He yielded a one out single to Victor Caratini in the fourth inning to end his day. Not former Blackhawk Brent Suter was greeted with Jason Kipnis first base hit in a Cubs uniform. You may not know this, but Jason Kipnis is from Northbrook. Unfortunately Ian Happ bounced in a fielder’s choice with Caratini thrown out at the plate on a contact play. Kris Bryant grounded out to end the inning.

The top of that fourth inning saw the Brewers take a 3-1 yield on Ben Gamel’s triple. Darvish stranded Gamel at third base with no outs to keep the Cubs in this one. Duanne Underwood Jr. gave up a bomb to Justin Smoak making it a 4-1 Brewers lead in the fifth inning. Kyle Schwarber launched his own two run shot in the bottom of the fifth against Suter but the Cubs were still trailing 4-3.

Brad Wieck was given the sixth inning. He retired the first two batters, but walked Eric Sogard. Christian Yelich’s first and only hit of the series so far was the two run blast that followed, making it 6-3.  James Norwood took over in the seventh and the bullpen roulette continued to bite David Ross. Avisaíl García  singled with one out and made the correct read on Omar Narváez’s double scoring from first. Ian Happ made a diving attempt on Narváez’s hard hit ball, but wasn’t particularly close to making the grab on a tough play into the wall. Lorenzo Cain put the final tally on the board with his run scoring single in the next at bat. 

The Cubs one real chance to get back into the ball game was in the seventh inning against Devin Williams. Rizzo walked and Báez delivered a one out single. Schwarber flew out but Williams plunked Contreras to load the bases. Williams struck out Jason Heyward swinging to end the threat. Former Cub David Phelps and Eric Yardley combined for a stress free final two frames as the Brewers evened the series.   

Random Reference

Yu Darvish might not be Steve Trachsel, but he is a deliberate worker. This stands in stark contrast to Kyle Hendricks’ quick tempo. Add in the additional commercial breaks with a national broadcast along with the heavy bullpen usage in an 8-3 ballgame and this one felt like Robert Redford in the movie Sneakers.

Recaps are going to be slightly different in 2020, and the short version is that this is most likely what you will get immediately after a game in 2020. A full explanation of what is happening and why will be posted below.*

The Cubs had to wait an awfully long time for it, but the Northside ball club washed away some of the bad taste of 2019 with a solid all around game. The Cubs offense wasn’t potent by any stretch of the imagination. However, they were patient against some difficult pitchers. It felt like the Cubs lineup provided a threat up and down the whole lineup as opposed to pitchers just having to worry about the one or two hot hitters in the lineup at any given time in 2019.

The story of the night was the Cubs starter. After that performance some may be wondering whether Greg Maddux was a poor man’s Kyle Hendricks. It is a bit of opening day hyperbole but the Professor tossed a near Maddux in his first opening day nod. He had everything working with the elite change up and throwing that front door two seamer to lefties the way Maddux used to. If it wasn’t for Orlando Arcia’s best Ted Williams impersonation, he would have been perfect. But perhaps most worrisome to the NL Central was Kyle Hendricks saying in his best Happy Gilmore voice, “Kyle learned how to throw a curve.”

The Cubs offense had a bit of déjà vu all over again with Ian Happ hitting the Cubs first homer of the season. This year it was after working a 3-1 count in the nine spot as opposed to jumping on the first pitch of the 2018 season. The Cubs failed to manufacture a run without the longball, but that was about the only complaint as the Cubs won their third straight opening day.

WPA CHART

The Professor was locked in right from the start of the game. He retired eight hitters in a row before yielding a single to Orlando Arcia three times. The Cubs made hard-throwing Brandon Woodruff work his whole night but their first two base runners were erased on inning ending double plays. Nico Hoerner managed to sneak a groundball up the middle with one out in the bottom of the third, and Ian Happ made it count by driving the ball to dead center for the first runs of the Cubs season. There was a scary moment with Anthony Rizzo receiving a glancing blow off the hand to reach for a second time, but he would be more than fine to go the rest of the way.

The middle to late innings saw a duel between Kyle Hendricks and the rest of the Brewers staff. Victor Caratini ripped a double to start the fifth inning in Woodruff’s final inning of work, but the Cubs failed to advance him. The Brewers bullpen then shut down the offense until two outs in the eighth inning. Anthony Rizzo hooked one inside of the right field pole to extend the lead to 3-0.

Thankfully Kyle Hendricks was up to the task cruising through nine innings. Pesky Orlando Arcia provided the only blemishes on the outing. The leadoff single Hendricks allowed in the ninth inning provided David Ross’s only work for the night getting Craig Kimbrel warmed. Ross went out to check on the Professor after he just crossed the hundred pitch threshold recording the second out of the final frame, but the new skipper trusted his ace. He was rewarded with a quick groundout to earn the first W flag of the Ross era.

Random Reference

It didn’t really matter the outcome. There was only going to be one thing that was fitting after the longest wait in MLB history for baseball to return. It is still a complicated situation and one whose completion is far from certain. But tonight none of that matters because…

*As you may have noticed the staff at Cubs Den has been dwindling for a while. That is a somewhat intentional choice. The intentional part was that there has been no effort to replace the writers who have decided to move onto other things over the past several years. Cubs Den has always been in a difficult position of keeping the writers trying to continue this passion project. It simply did not feel right to try to expand the staff given the precarious nature of journalism in 2020 and the questionable ethics of hiring writers paid with exposure.

This year I will be the only one writing a traditional recap, and as such I am going to try to keep the recaps shorter than the 1500 word behemoths I usually churned out in the past. It also means that there might not be a same day recap after every game. A little shop talk here but generally game recaps only receive any traffic when they are published within an hour or two of the final pitch. There is simply no way that I am going to be able to produce something in that time frame 60 times (hopefully more) this year. I am not ready to retire the Cubs Den recap at this time, and so I am going to try to produce as many as I can this year.

Michael is looking at starting a morning after recap that will published regardless of whether or not there is a same day recap. This is part of a larger attempt for the site to evolve to meet the challenging environment that everyone finds themselves in during 2020. I and everyone else at Cubs Den appreciate your support now and in the past. I look forward to sharing this strange and hopefully wonderful year of Cubs baseball with you.