Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (2/26/20): Cubs 8, Royals 0 – Hendricks Sharp, Báez Goes Deep

The Chicago Cubs welcomed the Kansas City Royals to Sloan Park on Wednesday for Kyle Hendricks‘ first appearance of the spring. Hendricks was sharp in his debut performance and so was the rest of Chicago’s pitching staff.

Alec Mills, Kyle Ryan, and Jharel Cotton all had scoreless outings against an undermanned Kansas City lineup.

Javy Báez got his team on the board with a solo home run to left in the 3rd inning. Jason Kipnis and Albert Almora Jr. each had run-scoring hits in the 4th inning as part of a three-run rally. The Royals never really threatened to score and the Cubs won easily 8-0. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Won

The Royals could do nothing against Cubs’ pitchers. All the hurlers with a shot at making the roster in 2020 were very effective today.

Key Moment

Báez seems like he is ready to start the regular season right now. He got every bit of his 3rd inning blast.

Stats That Matter

• Hendricks’ velocity was down a touch in his first spring start, but the results were good: 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K, and 0 BB.
• Kipnis had a double in addition to his RBI single.
• Victor Caratini had a single and a walk and continues to look good at the plate.
• Cotton was particularly sharp and displayed a nasty change-up in his inning of work.

Bottom Line

The Cubs had to like the quality outings they got from their pitching staff on Wednesday. Kyle Hendricks continues to be as effective and efficient as always.

On Deck

The Cubs head to Surprise on Thursday to take on the Texas Rangers. Colin Rea gets the start in the 2:05 CT game, which can be seen on Marquee Sports Network.