CHICAGO — Kyle Hendricks could sense he had his command as soon as he stepped on the mound. He walked off 81 pitches later with possibly his best performance to date.
Hendricks tossed a four-hitter, Anthony Rizzo homered in his third straight game and the Chicago Cubs beat the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 on Friday.
The second-place Cubs won their season-high fifth in a row while cutting St. Louis’ division lead to 1½ games. The Cardinals have back-to-back losses after five consecutive victories.
Hendricks (2-4) threw the fewest pitches for the Cubs in a shutout since Jon Lieber’s 78 against Cincinnati on May 24, 2001, and the fewest for a major leaguer in a nine-inning shutout since Boston’s Aaron Cook needed 81 at Seattle on June 29, 2012.