CUBS 1, PADRES 0 (7)
Getting in shape
Right-hander Kyle Hendricks tossed two scoreless innings in his Cactus League debut Monday against the Padres. He allowed one hit and struck out two. He also induced a 3-6-1 double play in the first inning.
Old-friend alert
Catcher Victor Caratini faced his former team for the first time. Hendricks’ first strikeout came against his old batterymate in the second inning.
‘‘Luckily, last year when we were [scrimmaging] at Wrigley, we had to face each other in those games,’’ Hendricks said. ‘‘That was the first time I ever did it. So at least I had that under my belt to face him this time. But, yeah, I saw him when I was walking out, so I got to talk to him just a little bit. That was really cool.’’
Flashing the leather
One thing that stood out from the Cubs’ first spring game was their defense. They turned three double plays to get out of a few jams. Defense has been a talking point for manager David Ross since he took over last season.
‘‘When this team was at their best with a core group of these guys, there was some really elite defense,’’ Ross said. ‘‘That was something that we set out to be better at last year, and we got better. These guys worked in different ways and grew and changed some of the routines they had, and it paid off.’’
On deck
Royals at Cubs, 2:10 p.m. Tuesday, Mesa, Jakob Junis vs. Adbert Alzolay. Kris Bryant, Ian Happ, Jason Heyward and Nico Hoerner are expected to make their spring debuts.
