Hendricks shuts down reeling Pirates as Cubs complete 3-game sweep with 8-3 victory
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Chicago Cubs are flying to England in more ways than one.
Kyle Hendricks pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Nico Hoerner homered, tripled, and drove in three runs and the surging Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-3 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.
Chicago has won eight of nine overall, giving the Cubs some serious momentum heading into a weekend series against rival St. Louis in London, England, starting on Saturday.
"We're trying to ... play our best brand of baseball and we're doing a little bit of that right now," Cubs manager David Ross said.
It helps to have a starting rotation that is hitting its stride. The Cubs opened the series at PNC Park with consecutive shutouts - including a five-hitter on Tuesday anchored by NL ERA leader Marcus Stroman - and Hendricks and three relievers followed by limiting the reeling Pirates to just two hits.