There’s really no way to sugarcoat it, Kyle Hendricks had looked pretty poopy over his first three starts of the season. Which explains why his sinker moved more like a stinker, giving him very little difference between fastballs and leaving virtually no room for the changeup to be established as an out pitch.
But when he toed the rubber Friday, it was like a whole different pitcher had emerged. Less like Alien and more like a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly, the changeup artist came out twirling and spinning as well as he ever has.