'It's so special': Hendricks soaks in Wrigley setting

CHICAGO -- As Kyle Hendricks walked off the mound and back toward the Cubs’ dugout in the sixth inning on Saturday, he received a distinct ovation from the crowd of 38,819 at Wrigley Field.

It was a moment not foreign to Hendricks, who has turned in many big-time performances for the Cubs during his 11 seasons with the team. It’s also something the right-hander does not take for granted.

“It's so special to be here, to come and pitch at Wrigley Field as many times as I've gotten to,” Hendricks said after the Cubs’ 5-1 loss to the Nationals on Saturday. “It's been super special. Definitely take it in. It's hard not to when you're at a setting this cool, fans packing it out every single night. So it's just the best place in the world to play, for sure.”

Hendricks, the last active player from the Cubs’ 2016 World Series team, is eligible to become a free agent this winter. For some fans, Saturday potentially could have been their last opportunity to see him pitch at Wrigley in a Cubs uniform. The right-hander’s turn in the rotation is lined up for next weekend, when Chicago wraps up the regular season at home against the Reds.

In the meantime, Hendricks turned in a solid performance, featuring moments of his vintage self. The veteran right-hander was charged with four runs on nine hits (all singles) and one walk in 5 1/3 innings with two strikeouts. Of his 91 pitches, Hendricks threw 42 changeups, a 46-percent usage rate that marked his fourth highest in an outing this season.

What’s more, Hendricks became the sixth starter in Cubs history to record 1,250 strikeouts with the team.

The Cubs’ lineup tallied just two hits and three walks. They did not record a hit until the seventh inning, when Patrick Wisdom crushed a solo homer to end Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore’s no-hit bid.

“I felt like I just gave up, maybe three or four singles that were hard contact,” Hendricks said of his outing. “They just found a couple holes, had some baserunners, and it was what it was. But overall, I feel like I'm back on track and made a lot of pitches today.”

That’s perhaps the most important takeaway from the outing. Hendricks is putting together a solid finish to a season that has featured individual low points, including his poor start to the campaign. Hendricks has a 3.92 ERA in 20 2/3 innings over four starts in September.

At the end of April, Hendricks had a 12.00 ERA in five starts while spending time on the 15-day IL due to a low back strain. With a 10.57 ERA through seven starts, the Cubs moved him to the bullpen in May, only to then slot Hendricks back into the rotation out of necessity in June, after starters Jordan Wicks (right oblique strain) and Ben Brown (neck) went on the IL.

“A lot of guys at different points of their career could back off and be like, ‘OK, I just don't have it anymore. It's just not my time,’” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “But that's just not Kyle. Kyle continues to work. He wants to get better. He wants to improve. And I think we saw the fruits of the labor that he put in -- going on the IL, working on the things he needed to get cleaned up and feeling better, and then coming back and being a very good version of himself.”

Through the ups and downs this season, Hendricks has focused on staying present and taking things day by day.

“It's a lot easier said than done, for sure,” Hendricks said. “When things aren't going well, it's hard to stay in that process and stay in the moment. But I feel like I've done a lot better job at that the last two, three months, just focusing on the work, taking it one day and one moment at a time.”

Hendricks’ next moment could be next week, back in front of the North Side faithful against Cincinnati. Hendricks, for his part, acknowledged he hopes to take the mound for one final start this season.

“I would love that, obviously. I would line up for it,” Hendricks said. “I don't know what [the team’s] thinking is, but of course. I just love pitching in general. So no matter where it would be, I would just love to get the ball and finish it out strong.”