Tonight was supposed to be a battle of aces, but now it’s the third time this year we’ll be treated to about as disparate a pair of starting pitchers as you’ll find. Justin Steele was scratched due to elbow soreness — no structural damage, thank goodness — so the Cubs are turning to Kyle Hendricks to face Paul Skenes and the Pirates. That was the matchup last week when Hendricks had the shortest start of his career, departing after recording fewer outs (5) than earned runs allowed (6).
The Professor gave up eight hits and walked three, setting the stage for an epic comeback that saw the Cubs claw back from a 10-3 deficit entering the 7th inning.