ST. LOUIS — Cardinals star Nolan Arenado worked a full count against Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks in the seventh inning Friday night — the last at-bat before Hendricks left the game — but Arenado never quite looked comfortable.
After huddling on the mound with catcher Miguel Amaya and shortstop Dansby Swanson, Hendricks started off the at-bat with a fastball up and in, out of the zone. Arenado spun out of the way. That ball set up a changeup on the inside half of the plate that had Arenado swinging out of his shoes.
With a low curveball and changeup, Hendricks fell behind. But he evened the scales with a fastball on the edge of the plate that Arenado fouled off.
To finish the job, Hendricks went back to the sinker up and in, this time in the strike zone. Arenado pounded the pitch into the ground, giving Hendricks an easy play at first.
It was a familiar back-and-forth in a rivalry game steeped in tradition. And just as Hendricks (2-7) came out on top to finish a dominant start at Busch Stadium, the Cubs came away with a decisive 5-1 win. They extended their winning streak to five games, tied for a season high.
“We couldn't ask for any more,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He pitched wonderfully.”
Hendricks’ seven scoreless innings were all the more significant after his last outing, a start shortened by tightness in his lower back last Saturday. Although he spent a few weeks on the injured list earlier in the year with what the Cubs called a back strain, he said last week that the most recent issue with his back was “completely different” and “a one-time thing.”
His previous outing June 30 in Milwaukee, in which he allowed seven runs, all in one inning — led to anxiety among some observers when he followed with the short start. But his confidence turned out to be justified.
Hendricks’ start Friday was his 28th career appearance against the Cardinals. He carried a 2.62 ERA against them into the series.
“It's still a lot of luck,” Hendricks said. “I don't know. There's so many good hitters over there. And I just keep putting my head down, and try to make one pitch after another.”
Hendricks limited the Cardinals to five hits, all singles. No runner reached second base against him, with the help of a nice throw from right fielder Seiya Suzuki to catch Willson Contreras trying to stretch a single into a double in the first inning, and a strike ‘em out throw ’em out double play to end the fourth.
The Cardinals used a rainout Tuesday and a day off Thursday to line up ace Sonny Gray (9-6) for this series opener. But the Cubs’ offense had built momentum dating back to a 10-run performance against the Phillies last Thursday.
They didn’t put up a lopsided number against Gray. But the way Hendricks was pitching, three runs against Gray — on Nico Hoerner’s ground out, Swanson’s single and Hoerner’s sacrifice fly — were enough for an advantage.
The Cubs tacked on two more runs in the eighth, as soon as Gray left, when David Bote hit a two-out double.
Left-hander Luke Little replaced Hendricks on the mound but exited with shoulder discomfort after four pitches.
The Cardinals failed to score more than their one run in the ninth despite loading the bases. That run, on Paul Goldschmidt's RBI single off Hunter Bigge in the ninth inning, ended the Cubs pitching staff's scoreless innings streak at 32, the team’s longest such streak since August 1971 (33 innings).
“Just playing good baseball,” Hendricks said. “Good, fundamental baseball. It's just fun to watch.”
