Levine: Kyle Hendricks Is Gaining The Trust Of Joe Maddon

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The quiet Cubs bats woke up Thursday afternoon in a big way, supporting another strong performance from right-hander Kyle Hendricks.

Starting pitching has been the main ingredient to victory for the Cubs all season, as they entered the game with the lowest rotation ERA in baseball at 2.38. Hendricks continued the trend, throwing eight innings and allowing two runs on three hits while striking out six as the Cubs were a 7-2 winner against the Dodgers at Wrigley Field.

After managing to score only four runs in the first three games of the series, the Cubs bats came alive with home runs from Javier Baez, Jason Heyward, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.

The under-the-radar Hendricks improved to 4-4 on the season, and he's gaining the trust of manager Joe Maddon, who's allowed him to go deeper in games. In his previous start, Hendricks had thrown a complete game.

"He is really learning his craft," Maddon said. "Of course he can get better. There are other things he will be able to learn how to do as he gains experience. Just the way he pitched right now, with the weapons he has, hitters don't like that. There is a lot of movement. There is a lot of late movement. The hitters are doing a lot of guessing as to what he is going to do next. His splits when you break down his numbers, he has been really good against right-handed hitting."

Thursday marked the first time Hendricks went at least eight innings in back-to-back games in his career.

"We take pride in going out there every fifth day," Hendricks said. "Lately, I have been able to make it simple and focus on making good pitches."

The Cubs are now a season-high 22 games over .500 and extended their lead in the NL Central to eight games at game's end. Their 37-15 mark is the franchise's second-best 52-game start in history. The 1907 Cubs started 40-12.

Defense was king for Chicago on Thursday as well. Playing second base, Baez had a spectacular day in the field to go along with his two hits and three RBIs. The Cubs' new super substitute, Baez has played outstanding defense at second base, shortstop and third base.

"Our young guys' work ethic and preparation as well as how they are being led (is great)," Maddon said. "Everyone -- players and coaches -- are doing a great job."

Baez was excited by his play up the middle that seemed to defy gravity in the fifth inning, when he leapt through the air and made a great stab of Carl Crawford's line drive in short center field.

"On that play, I did envision the catch," Baez said. "The ball was pretty far from me, so I knew what I had to do."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.