Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/7/20): Cubs 5, Cardinals 1 – Hendricks Shines in Much-Needed Win

Things felt like they were starting to spin out of control for the Cubs this weekend as they lost three straight games to the second-place Cardinals and looked bad doing it. Fortunately for the home team, the calm, capable, right arm of Kyle Hendricks was there to restore order Monday.

The Cubs grabbed the lead in the bottom of the 1st when Ian Happ doubled and scored on a Anthony Rizzo double play. Rizzo hit a sacrifice fly in the 3rd to increase the lead to 2-0.

Hendricks was very sharp early, pitching to contact with the wind blowing in and keeping his pitch count low. Jason Kipnis singled home another run in the 4th inning off of young Cardinals starter Johan Oviedo and it felt as if the game was already well in hand by that point.

A rare Kolten Wong throwing error put men on second and third with no one out in the 5th. Designated hitter Willson Contreras made that error hurt by singling home two runs and giving his team a 5-0 advantage.

That was more than enough for the Professor, who allowed just one run over eight strong innings. Rowan Wick entered in a non-save situation and closed out the 5-1 victory. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Won

Hendricks played stopper and had a huge game, not only earning the win, but also saving the overused bullpen. It was nice to see Cubs hitters make the Cardinals pay for their mistakes at the plate.

Key Moment

Three singles in the 7th inning pushed St. Louis’s only run across the plate Monday and Matt Carpenter faced Hendricks with two on and one out. Hendricks coaxed Carpenter to hit into a slickly-turned 4-6-3 double play to escape the jam.

Stats That Matter

• Hendricks continues his excellent work at Wrigley Field: 8 IP, 1 R, 7 H, 4 K, and 0 BB.
• Happ walked three times in addition to his double.
• Javy Báez had three hits, two of which never left the infield. But the box score doesn’t care and it’s something to build on.
• Speaking of looking for stuff to build on, Kris Bryant had two more hits as well.

Bottom Line

This was a big game for the Cubs. Probably their biggest of the season so far. Losing four of five would have meant clinging to a precarious 0.5 game lead, so everyone now gets at least a day to breathe easier.

On Deck

The Cubs welcome the Reds to Chicago for three games starting Tuesday at 7:15pm CT. Tyler Mahle and Alec Mills get the start in a game airing on Marquee.