Cubs manager David Ross named Kyle Hendricks his Game 1 starter for the NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday. Yu Darvish will start Game 2.
"I feel like I have two aces," Ross said.
Hendricks and Darvish offered the Cubs two good options for their series opener with the Marlins on Wednesday (1 p.m., Wrigley Field). But Hendricks' final regular season start was this past Wednesday, and Ross didn't want to give him another day off between outings.
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"There's a lot of reasons that we could go into, but it really is as simple as that," Ross said.
Darvish (2.01 ERA, 12 starts) pitched last Friday, and so he'll have an extra day of rest between starts.
Hendricks posted a 2.88 in 12 starts this season, finishing second in the NL with 81 1/3 innings pitched. He holds a 2.98 career ERA in 11 postseason outings, including 10 starts.
As expected, Jon Lester (2.51 career postseason ERA) will take the bump for the Cubs, if the series goes to a Game 3.