CHICAGO -- Kyle Hendricks felt like himself again on the mound in Detroit on Sunday afternoon. The Cubs veteran starter said that sensation actually had its roots in a mound session a few days earlier. 

"I felt it out front. I could see [an] angle on my fastball," Hendricks said. "Home plate felt like it was a little bit closer to me -- not so far away. When I start getting that visual, then I start to just trust my stuff so much more." 

Hendricks called it a "turning point" for him this season, and the Cubs will hope that turns out to be the case for their rotation leader. What was encouraging for Chicago was the fact that Hendricks' feeling was backed up by performance. 

Against the Tigers, Hendricks logged eight shutout innings before allowing a run in the ninth. He struck out eight and walked none -- a vintage pitching line for the righty. Within that performance, Hendricks had a career-high 31 called strikes.

"I've said this a lot about Kyle in the past," Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said earlier this season. "He's as good as it gets feeling through what his delivery is doing. And when he gets locked in, it stays that way for a long time, because he's such a feel pitcher." 

Hendricks' seven called strikeouts were the most in the Majors this season, and it was just the 23rd time in the Statcast era (since 2015) that a pitcher had at least that many called punchouts in a game. It was the 21st time a pitcher had at least 31 called strikes. 

Maybe Hendricks felt his turning point came in the days leading up to his outing in Detroit, but his past three turns have displayed progress. After posting a 7.54 ERA in his first five starts this year, Hendricks has logged a 2.70 ERA with 17 strikeouts and two walks in 20 innings in his past three.

Hendricks allowed six runs (four earned) against the Pirates on May 9, but he also registered his lowest average exit velocity (79.5 mph) of the season. In his last three starts, Hendricks' average exit velocity has dropped to 85 mph (down from 88.9 mph in his first five).

"I felt so much more like myself," Hendricks said of his performance on Sunday. "[I was] really getting my fastball down with sink, especially my glove side. So once I have that, then I can move the ball around like I normally do, and you can get some calls like that."

Worth noting

• The Cubs announced Monday that utility man Ildemaro Vargas had been claimed off waivers by the Pirates. Vargas was designated for assignment on Saturday to clear a roster spot for Ian Happ (activated from injured list).

• The Cubs announced Monday that they have hired 21-year-old Jeremiah Paprocki to be their new public address announcer. Paprocki made his PA debut at Wrigley Field on Monday.

• Joc Pederson saw a modest five-game hitting streak end Sunday, but the outfielder (out of Monday's lineup) has hit .400 (16-for-40) with five multihit games, including four three-hit showings, in his first 10 games since coming off the injured list on May 4.

Quotable

"He turned this franchise. He's a big reason why this franchise turned into a winning franchise. ... He came and changed the culture, along with other things. He's one of the main reasons why."
-- Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, on Jon Lester