Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks had an interesting theory as to why tendinitis suddenly flared up in the middle finger of his pitching hard.
"Flipping the bird to people, maybe it was too much of that," Hendricks said with a hearty laugh before the Cubs faced the Cardinals on Sunday night at Wrigley Field. "Driving in Chicago ..."
Actually, it was likely the result of throwing thousands of pitches during the mild-mannered pitcher's career that inflamed the back of his hand and sidelined Hendricks for seven weeks. Whatever the reason, the right-hander is happy that he is back and will take the mound when the Cubs face the White Sox on Monday at Wrigley.
"I'm just excited to get back out there to hopefully contribute to the roll that we're on right now," Hendricks said. "Hopefully, I can be that guy (who) ... can take the innings load off a few of these guys because it's been a long couple of years for them."
Hendricks hasn't pitched in the majors since he took a no-decision against the Cardinals on June 4, but he fared well in two rehab outings with Double-A Tennessee, allowing a run on two hits in 8 1/3 innings.
The veteran is focusing on the possible silver lining of the time missed: Being fresh down the stretch.
"That's one of the positives I tried to take from the DL stint," Hendricks said. "Rest up in a way so I can maybe be stronger toward the end of the year. These guys were all grinding it out while I'm sitting here getting healthy and they're wearing down a little bit. If I can provide a little extra uptick for us, that would be nice."
