Cubs' Kyle Hendricks Describes His Stuff: 'Why The Heck Can't We Hit This Guy?'

(CBS) Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks doesn't come off as an intimidating figure on the mound.

He checks in at 6-foot-3, rather commonplace for a baseball player. His fastball sits in the upper 80s, never blowing away anyone. He has no beard, scowl or any other signature feature as he stands 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate and goes into his windup.

"With my stuff, that's just how it's always kind of been for me coming up -- when I do have success, guys can't really understand," Hendricks said on the Spiegel and Goff Show on Tuesday. "'Why the hell can't we hit this guy?'

"When I'm going good, that's kind of the reaction I like out of other teams."

It's been going really good for Hendricks lately, as he sports a 2.22 ERA that's good for third-best in all of baseball. Over his last six outings -- five starts and his first career relief effort -- Hendricks has recorded he 0.79 ERA, and he fired his second career shutout in Chicago's 5-0 win against Miami on Monday night.

While Hendricks is getting more acclaim of late, it's easy for him to keep his success in perspective when hanging out with reigning NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta and the rest of the Cubs rotation.

"We definitely joke around," Hendricks said. "When the four or five of us are sitting together at times just in a group, we'll definitely joke around and talk. We all know, it's definitely friendly competition. We have those guys who will talk about it. They will talk some smack and get it out there. It just makes it fun, the back and forth, and then seeing each guy go out there and take the ball and see the competitiveness."

On a more serious note, Cubs manager Joe Maddon was asked Tuesday in his interview with Spiegel and Goff whether Hendricks -- the team's No. 5 starter -- could start Game 3 of a playoff series behind Arrieat and Jon Lester. Maddon made clear he hadn't thought that far ahead, then offered a small glimpse into how the question will perhaps be solved: by fate.

"Baseball has this cruel or weird way of answering its own questions," Maddon said. "I really try to observe, watch, listen. We get to the playoffs, we're in the playoffs, then we'll make those kinds of determinations. Obviously right now, he's pitching as well as anybody.

"He's pitching at a very high level. But let's just wait and see. First let's get there, and then we'll make the determination at that point. Because I really believe the game does answer a lot of its own questions."