Last season, Chicago Cubs‘ starter Kyle Hendricks won the NL ERA title by posting a 2.13, just ahead of teammate Jon Lester‘s 2.44. Hendricks seemed the most unlikely to win the award with his style of pitching. A high-80’s fastball mixed in with his two changeups looks like a batting practice pitcher, not a top-tier starter. But 2017 has been far from the glory that he experienced last season. It’s been that way for most of the Cubs’ staff, but especially Hendricks.
Then came the news that he had some discomfort in his hand and would head to the 10-day DL.