Cubs survive Craig Kimbrel's latest struggles for a 5-4 win over the Royals
CHICAGO — Cubs President Theo Epstein said he’s pleased with a lineup that is “functioning well” without consistent contributions from Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward.
There’s a strong belief that Bryant will regain his All-Star production, and Heyward is starting to contribute to the bottom of an order that has provided balance.
Heyward hit his first home run of the season Tuesday night, a two-run shot in the second, and a single that preceded a two-run home run by Jason Kipnis. That provided Kyle Hendricks with ample support in a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals that stretched the Cubs’ winning streak to five games.
It’s only the fifth time since 1901 that the Cubs (9-2) have won at least nine of their first 11 games.
Willson Contreras hit a home run in the eighth that loomed larger when Craig Kimbrel’s struggles continued with a three-run lead entering the ninth.
Hits by Salvador Perez and Adalberto Mondesi sandwiched a strikeout of pinch hitter Franchy Cordero, prompting manager David Ross to pull Kimbrel.
Both runners scored before Bryant made a back-handed stop at third of a hard grounder by Bubba Starling to end the game and help Kyle Ryan earn his first career save.
In three appearances, Kimbrel has allowed six runs on four hits and four walks with one hit batter and one wild pitch in 1? innings.
Meanwhile, Heyward has gone 5-for-15 after a 2-for-15 start. His homer off rookie Brady Singer, the Royals’ first-round pick in the 2018 draft, erased an early deficit and was his first extra-base hit of the season.
Kipnis continues to make the most of his limited playing time. He hit his second homer in as many starts to push the Cubs’ lead to 4-1 in the fourth and is 6-for-14 in his four starts.
The Cubs were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, but Hendricks (2-1) prevented the Royals from mounting big rallies as he improved to 8-1 with a 1.82 ERA in his last 15 starts at Wrigley Field dating to April 19, 2019.
Despite Hendricks’ strong outing, the ERA of Cubs starters actually rose to a major-league-leading 2.01.
Hendricks did his best work getting out of trouble. After the Royals took a 1-0 lead on three consecutive hits to open the second, Hendricks retired the next three batters.
After two-out hits by Mondesi and Alex Gordon, Hendricks induced Maikel Franco to ground into a force play to end the fourth.
For the second consecutive game, the Cubs supplied exceptional defense.
Shortstop Javier Baez didn’t flinch when Whit Merrifield was sliding hard into second base, and Baez fired to first to complete a double play to end the fifth.
Bryant made a diving stop to rob Franco of a hit in the seventh. That helped Hendricks retire the final eight batters.
———
©2020 Chicago Tribune
Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
