Hendricks Leads Way as Cubs Set Second-Half Rotation

The Cubs announced their second-half rotation Wednesday afternoon, but they had pretty much set everything up last week. By shifting Jon Lester back to the final game of the first half, they gave him six days of rest and ensured that he would miss both the All-Star Game and the second-half opener. Now he’ll resume his normal routine with a Friday start.

That means Kyle Hendricks, who started last Saturday in San Diego, will take the bump Thursday against the Cardinals at Wrigley. Most other teams actually resume play Friday, but ESPN saw fit to plan a showcase game for the Cubs and Cards. Tyler Chatwood and Mike Montgomery will go in Saturday’s double-header, though the Cubs have yet to determine which pitcher is handling which game.

Jose Quintana, then, will take the final game of the series on Sunday, 11 days after his last start on July 10 in San Francisco. That’s kind of wild given the setup coming out of the break and the fact that all of the other starters have had more recent outings, but there’s obviously something about the matchup or Quintana’s specific situation that prompted it. That start against the Giants was one of his best all season, so here’s to hoping he closes this long series strong.

But back to those TBD Saturday starts for a few moments. Regardless of who’s pitching when, there’ll be a few hours in between for folks in the area to attend the 3rd Annual John Baker Day festivities. This year’s event will once again be held at Nisei Lounge, just a few blocks south of Wrigley, and will feature musical performances by Danny Rockett and Katie Day.

It’s going to be a helluva time, something the youths might even call “lit.” I mean, they’ve got JBD fanny packs, for gosh sakes. Come on out and see me test my trivia knowledge against the former Cubs catcher/reliever and current mental skills coordinator, which should be quite a challenge.