Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks made an early exit from Game 2 of the NLDS Saturday.
Hendricks was hit on the pitching arm by Angel Pagan’s line drive in the fourth inning and suffered a bruised right forearm. X-Rays taken were negative.
After the Cubs training staff and manager Joe Maddon came out to check on him, Hendricks, a Cy Young candidate, took a couple of warm-up pitches, his first missing the strike zone by a foot or more. After more discussion with Maddon, he tried another warm-up pitch but was replaced by left-hander Travis Wood.
The Cubs led 4-2 in the fourth inning.
Hendricks allowed two runs in the third on pinch-hitter Gregor Blanco’s RBI double and Brandon Belt’s sacrifice fly. After Hendricks retired the first two Giants in the fourth, Pagan hit a liner off Hendricks, hitting him on the lower part of his arm. Hendricks retrieved the ball but Pagan beat the throw to first for a single.
Wood came on and struck out Conor Gillaspie for the third out.
Wood then batted in the bottom of the fourth and hit a solo homer against George Kontos. Hendricks drove in two runs in the second with a single, giving Cubs pitchers three RBI.
