CHICAGO — Joc Pederson put on a show around the bases on Saturday night. After his latest home run found the bleachers in left-center, the Cubs outfielder pointed to the fans, tugged at his jersey, stutter-stepped around third and pointed to the sky.
The fans packed into Wrigley Field roared with delight at a fourth-inning blast that had the Cubs well on their way to a 7-2 win over the rival Cardinals. And it was the always-stoic Kyle Hendricks — the rotation’s stabilizing force — who was the beneficiary.
While the Cubs’ offense had the Friendly Confines shaking under the weight of the largest crowd of the season, Hendricks was steady throughout another quality start. The pair of solo home runs he allowed were blemishes, rather than blows.
Over six innings, Hendricks limited St. Louis to two runs, setting up the bullpen for a smooth finish behind a wealth of run support. Chicago struck for five runs in the second (helped by five walks vs. Cardinals starter John Gant and a homer by Ian Happ) and later received homers from Sergio Alcántara and Pederson.
