CHICAGO -- During a 13-inning stretch this weekend, the Chicago Cubs managed just one hit. Still, they somehow held the lead following each of those innings and managed to record a pair of victories, including Sunday’s 2-0 win over the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field -- a game in which they prevailed despite being held to three hits.
“Efficient, I guess,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “That’s what it is. You have to pitch better than good pitching.”
Efficient, indeed. In the past week, the Cubs have won three games despite scoring two or fewer runs. The offense is currently in a bit of a funk, but the team still has managed to win five of six games.
“All good teams do that,” outfielder Chris Denorfia said. “While our offense has been down, our pitching has stepped up. They’ve been carrying us the last couple of weeks. It’s our turn to step up and start putting some runs up.”
Kyle Hendricks is the latest starter to pitch well. The right-hander tossed 7⅓ shutout innings to win his second straight start. Hendricks (4-4) hasn’t allowed a run in 15⅓ innings dating back to a start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 24.
“I was just making a lot of good pitches, like I’ve been talking about,” he said. “In the past, I just wasn’t making enough good pitches. Today I did.
“I think it’s a mindset, like I’ve been talking about. Trying to simplify everything. Have that one singular thought: make good pitches.”
The Marlins managed just one scoring threat against Hendricks, in the seventh inning. Christian Yelich led off with a walk and Adeiny Hechavarria followed with a single to put runners on first and second with none out.
But Hendricks got Justin Bour and Cole Gillespie on a pair of routine fly balls and then retired Derek Dietrich on a comebacker to end the inning.
Hendricks had another big moment an inning earlier when he picked off speedster Dee Gordon (second in the National League with 29 stolen bases) to end the sixth.
As for the Cubs’ offense, they took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Chris Coghlan scored on a wild pitch with two outs. They didn’t manage another hit until the eighth when Denorfia led off with a double and scored on a single by Coghlan with two outs.
“There’s not a whole lot to talk about that game,” Maddon said. “It was a kind of a nondescript game, but we did pitch extremely well and we played well.”
The irony of the recent stretch is pitching was supposed to be the team’s weak link and hitting its strength.
“I am not concerned about the offense, I know it’s gonna show up,” Maddon said. “As long as you can pull some of this magical stuff out while you’re waiting for the offense to come, I’ll take it.”
Now would be a good time for the bats to break out with the St. Louis Cardinals coming to town for a four-game series starting Monday. The Cardinals have an 8½-game lead over the third-place Cubs in the National League Central and swept the Cubs in St. Louis last weekend.
Maddon, though, refused to label the series as “crucial” or “big.”
“What means a lot is Monday’s game. I’ll only concede that,” he said. “I don’t look in clumps. I try to stay with the daily approach. I know you’re supposed to be more concerned with winning in your division. I’m just concerned about winning every night.
“I want our guys to really approach the day, and that’s it.”