Kyle Hendricks will make his season debut when the Cubs face the Mets

After a long road to health, Kyle Hendricks is ready to make a comeback Chicago Cubs. Returning from injury, Carlos Carrasco aims to end his early season struggles New York Mets

Hendricks is performing for the first time in more than 10 months Puppies go on a three game streak from the visitors Mets Thursday night. Carrasco leaves for New York

The only remaining member of Chicago’s 2016 World Series-winning club, Hendricks has been out of the majors since July 5, 2022, with a shoulder injury. However, after extensive rehab, minor league work and a bullpen session at Wrigley Field this week, the right-hander will get the ball. Puppies fourth home win in a row

“It’s exciting to have it back.” Puppies President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said of Hendricks, who did not want surgery to repair a capsular tear in his shoulder. “He’s the perfect teammate. …I think everyone is excited to have him on the mound.

The 33-year-old veteran is 87-61 with a career 3.46 ERA in 223 games (222 starts) since joining Chicago in 2014.

Hendricks has been quite good against New York, going 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA in five career regular season starts. He tries to help a Puppies they remain perfect after keeping the Mets for two runs in the first two games of the series after a 2-7 outing

New York entered the current streak having won five in a row. But starters Tylor Megill and Kodai Senga have allowed nine runs, seven earned, over 8 2/3 innings over the past two days. Metswho have dropped 11 of their last 14 on the road

Carrasco (0-2, 8.68 ERA) has scored five or more runs in three of his four starts this season.

The right-hander missed more than a month with elbow inflammation and returned Friday to allow five runs, including a triple, on five hits and two walks in five innings against his former club, the Cleveland Guardians.

While Carrasco was far from ineffective, he allowed just one run over the final three innings.

“It was good to finish my pitches,” Carrasco said. “Not at the beginning of the season.”

Carrasco is 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA in three lifetime starts against Chicago. In a small sample size, Nico Hoerner, who made it home a Puppies‘ 4-2 win on Wednesday, 2-3 against Carrasco

Chicago’s Christopher Morel, who is 0-1 with a walk against Carrasco, pushed his season-opening hitting streak to 13 games on Wednesday with an infield single. Morel scored in each of the previous five games.

New York star Pete Alonso is 0-4 against Hendricks, but has a hit in eight of his past nine games and has hit five homers during that span. Mets Catcher Francisco Alvarez, who hit a two-run homer Wednesday, is 6-for-13 with three home runs and seven RBIs over the past four contests.

“At the end of the day, I have to control myself,” Alvarez, who is making the most of his opportunity after arriving in the majors late last season, said on SNY. “This racket is coming at me.”

— Field Level Media