Cubs Sweep Giants as Kyle Hendricks Tosses Gem at Wrigley FIeld

A day after an epic slugfest at the Friendly Confines, pitchers ruled the day Thursday as the Chicago Cubs edged the San Francisco Giants to finish off a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field.

Kyle Hendricks pitched seven innings of shutout baseball, giving up just three hits and striking out seven batters in the victory. He dropped his season ERA to a sparkling 3.20 in the effort and continued his strong pitching this season at home.

The Cubs’ bullpen, which struggled badly on Wednesday night, was dialed in Thursday as Brandon Kintzler, Kyle Ryan, and Rowan Wick helped to close the door on any potential Giants comeback.

Former Cubs hurler Jeff Samardzija had a good day of his own, giving up just two hits in seven innings of work, but an RBI single by Anthony Rizzo in the fourth inning was enough to send him to a tough luck loss.

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Several Giants players struggled at the dish in the game, as Mike Yastrzemski and Scooter Gennett each struck out three times in the losing effort.

After the sweep, the Cubs will welcome the surging Washington Nationals to Wrigley Field for a three-game set beginning on Friday afternoon. Jon Lester will take on Anibal Sanchez in the series opener.