I have heard Kyle Hendrick compared to Greg Maddux in the past. Today, Friday, he pitched a very Maddux like game, shutting out the Cardinals on 81 pitches. He threw 63 strikes, did not walk a batter, and not too surprisingly struck out just three. It’s tough to limit pitches if batters are going deep in counts and striking out.

The Cardinals managed four hits, but one runner was erased on a caught stealing. Cubs win 4-0. They have won five in a row and are now just 1 1/2 games behind the Cardinals.