Hendriks blames trio of homers on his mechanics

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Right-hander Liam Hendriks had trouble keeping the ball in the ballpark in his fourth Grapefruit League start on Sunday against the Pirates, as he served up three homers at Hammond Stadium.

Hendriks surrendered just three hits over three innings, but all three hits went over the left-field fence. Gaby Sanchez was the first to go deep with a solo shot in the second before Tony Sanchez added a solo blast and Andrew McCutchen connected on a two-run homer in the third.

Hendriks blamed his mechanics, as he couldn't repeat his delivery and was falling behind in the count, especially in his third and final inning.

"Everything was feeling good, but I just couldn't repeat myself today," Hendriks said. "I almost felt too loose and I was a little bit all over the place. I just couldn't throw back-to-back pitches where I wanted to. It was a tough day. I was able to get through most of it, but I ran into some trouble in the third because I was getting behind."

Hendriks, though, said he's feeling healthy this spring. The right-hander, who had a bone chip removed from his right elbow in December, has a 5.73 ERA in four starts in Grapefruit League play.

"My arm is feeling really good," Hendriks said. "It was just one of those days where I couldn't repeat anything, so it'll give me something to work on the next couple of days."