Hendricks (0-1) allowed three earned runs on four hits and three walks across three innings to take the loss Thursday against the Pirates. He struck out four.

EDGE Analysis

Hendricks didn't come close to matching his 2020 Opening Day start, in which he recorded a complete-game shutout of the Brewers. The righty got off to a rough start, allowing a two-run home run to No. 2 hitter Ke'Bryan Hayes, and he was eventually pulled after 63 pitches. There will be better days ahead for Hendricks, and he'll look to turn things around when he takes the hill again Wednesday against Milwaukee.

Manager David Ross announced Monday that Hendricks will start the Cubs' April 1 season opener versus the Pirates, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

He'll get the ball for the second Opening Day in a row, hoping to deliver another gem of a performance after he struck out nine in a complete-game shutout of the Brewers in the Cubs' 2020 season opener. Though Hendricks achieved his highest game score of last season in that outing against Milwaukee, he was in stellar form most every time he toed the rubber. He finished the abbreviated 60-game campaign with a 2.88 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 64:8 K:BB in 81.1 innings across his 12 starts, once again overcoming his lack of a power arsenal with elite command and control. With Yu Darvish getting dealt to San Diego over the offseason, Hendricks is now the unquestioned staff ace for Chicago.

Hendricks allowed four runs on seven hits across three innings in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Rockies. He struck out five.

EDGE Analysis

Hendricks, who skipped his last potential spring start and threw a bullpen session instead, tossed 53 pitches in his outing. "It felt good to just get the pitch count up, honestly," Hendricks said, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. "I felt really strong at the end there, had plenty left." He's still in line to start for the Cubs on Opening Day, though the team has yet to formally name a starter for the April 1 tilt against the Pirates.

Hendricks threw a bullpen session Saturday instead of making a Cactus League start against the Brewers, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hendricks and the Cubs will see plenty of the Brewers this season, so the team decided to let the righty log a bullpen rather than face the division rivals. By throwing Saturday, Hendricks is still on schedule to start the regular season opener on April 1, though manager David Ross has not formally named an Opening Day starter.

Hendricks tossed two scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League game against the Padres. He allowed a hit and a walk, while striking out two.

EDGE Analysis

Hendricks wasn't allowed to work very deep in his Cactus League debut, but the righty was sharp while he was in there. Hendricks is coming off of a strong 2020 campaign in which he posted a 2.88 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 12 starts, and he should serve as the Cubs' ace in 2021.

Hendricks will start the Cubs' Cactus League opener against the Padres Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

More importantly, this puts Hendricks in line to start the team's regular season opener against the Pirates on April 1. With Yu Darvish now in San Diego, Hendricks is unquestionably the ace in Chicago. He posted a stellar 2.88 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 12 starts during the shortened 2020 season.

Hendricks said he is ready to take on a "full load" this season, though manager David Ross said he'll be careful with the righty's workload, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

No one took on a full workload in 2020, as MLB condensed its regular season to 60 games. However, Hendricks was third in the majors with 81.1 innings, and the team is going to be cautious as it builds him back up for a full slate of games. "We've got to be careful with that," Ross said. "I think Kyle is a guy who stays in great shape; he is very durable and we trust in the innings that he can give us. But we're going to be smart." Hendricks logged 177 innings in 2019 and 199 in 2018.

Hendricks took the loss the the Marlins on Wednesday in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. He allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three over 6.1 innings.

EDGE Analysis

Hendricks hung zeros on the scoreboard through six, but Corey Dickerson touched the right-hander up for a three-run homer in the seventh before the Marlins tacked on two more against Jeremy Jeffress. That was enough to saddle Hendricks with the loss, and he will need his team to rally in this short, best-of-three series to have a chance to start again in 2020. The 30-year-old turned in another stellar regular season in the ratios categories; his strikeout rate remained right around 20 percent, but he cut his already-low walk rate to a mere 2.5 percent.

Hendricks (6-5) allowed two runs on seven hits (two home runs) and a walk while striking out three across 7.2 innings Wednesday as he took the loss against the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

Hendricks got off to a bumpy start by allowing back-to-back home runs to Adam Frazier and Ke'Bryan Hayes to lead off the first but was lights out for the rest of the game. The right-hander generated 19 of his 23 outs via either ground balls or fly outs as he primarily relied on his changeup and sinker to produce light contact from the Pirate hitters. Wednesday was Hendricks' last start of the regular season as he finished with a 2.88 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 64:8 K:BB while leading the majors with 81.1 innings pitched. The 30-year-old figures to slot in behind Yu Darvish as the Cubs' No. 2 rotation option come playoff time.

Hendricks (6-4) earned the win Friday after holding the Twins scoreless with 10 strikeouts across eight innings. He allowed three hits and one walk.

EDGE Analysis

Hendricks whiffed a season-high 10 batters to help the Cubs win their fifth straight game. After tossing 104 pitches -- including 73 for strikes -- the right-hander fell just shy of recording his fifth career shutout and second of the season. Hendricks now sports a 1.21 ERA in September and a 2.93 ERA overall across 11 starts. The 30-year-old will look to continue his success with a favorable matchup Wednesday at Pittsburgh.