ANAHEIM, Calif. \u2014 Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner gave the visitors\u2019 dugout a thumbs-up from second base after hitting a line drive into the left-field gap to win a battle against former teammate Kyle Hendricks in the fourth inning.<\/p>\n
Hendricks, backing up home plate as Ian Happ scored, took a breath and strode back to the mound. Hoerner, who had nodded to Hendricks before his first at-bat, caught a glimpse of a meaningful look from the right-hander.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlways kind of funky when you face someone you know well, especially somebody you\u2019ve had a lot of baseball conversations with,\u201d Hoerner said after the Cubs\u2019 4-3 victory Sunday against the Angels. \u201cI\u2019m super happy for him that he\u2019s getting a chance to pitch here, close to where he grew up, and that\u2019s pretty cool for him to share with his family. He\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cubs finished a three-game sweep to kick off a three-city trip. And after a lopsided victory Saturday, they found a different way to win the next day: holding tight to a lead in a low-scoring game.<\/p>\n
Their first challenge was facing Hendricks for the first time since his Cubs tenure came to a close this offseason. He was charged with four runs in 4\u2153 innings, two of the runs scored after he handed the ball over to another former Cub, left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first two innings, especially, he gave us kind of nothing to hit,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to kind of paper-cut Kyle. That\u2019s just how it\u2019s going to work because he\u2019s never going to give in.\u201d<\/p>\n
They made their first cut in the third inning, when rookie Matt Shaw\u2019s ground-rule double set up Kyle Tucker for an RBI single.<\/p>\n
In the fourth, Happ, the longest-tenured Cub since Hendricks\u2019 departure, drew his second walk off Hendricks.<\/p>\n
Then Hoerner fouled off three pitches in his clutch at-bat before getting a changeup at the top of the zone that he could drive.<\/p>\n
Happ rounded the bases and called out to Hendricks as he passed him on the way home, \u201cThat might have been in there,\u201d referring to the 2-2 fastball in his first at-bat that appeared to clip the zone.<\/p>\n
According to Happ, Hendricks joked back, \u201cI\u2019m scared of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pitching opposite Hendricks was another former teammate, righty Jameson Taillon.<\/p>\n
Taillon gave up a first-inning home run to Taylor Ward, his 30th of the season. But after that, Taillon didn\u2019t surrender another run or extra-base hit, limiting the Angels to three hits in five innings.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur starting pitching has been really good,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cThey\u2019re keeping us in games, giving us a chance to win games. And Jamo delivered one today, same thing. Coming back off the IL after a pretty long stint, having a couple of good starts in big games, very meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taillon, however, five days removed from a seven-week stint on the injured list for a strained right calf, hit another bump in the road.<\/p>\n
Warming up for the fifth after the Cubs had rallied for two runs in the inning, Taillon said he felt a \u201clittle crampy sensation\u201d in his left groin. Counsell pulled him after the inning to be safe.<\/p>\n
Taillon was encouraged, hoping that he had caught it early enough to avoid missing time. But the Cubs will be monitoring his recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s frustrating,\u201d Taillon said. \u201cToday felt like one of those days where I had everything working, and it felt like I was going to go seven innings. And unfortunate to have to leave early.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reliever Andrew Kittredge took over and allowed two runs (one earned) and two hits. An error by shortstop Dansby Swanson on a grounder allowed Ward to score the Angels\u2019 third run.<\/p>\n
As Hendricks walked to the dugout in the fifth inning, he received an ovation from a whole range of fans in the stadium, regardless of team affiliation. Those clad in Cubbie blue rose to their feet to give him a warm send-off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon left his start with tightness in his left groin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":83088,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n