Will walk-happy Yu Darvish get things under control? Cubs manager Joe Maddon isn't concerned

Yu Darvish ranked last in the majors Friday with 7.6 walks per 9 innings, an issue the Cubs right-hander hopes to fix in his next start Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

In response to his control issues, Darvish said after Monday’s start in Miami in which he walked four in 5 2/3 innings: “I’m Yu Darvish, I walk guys.”

The Cubs would prefer their $126 million pitcher not walk guys because it puts him in trouble and tends to get him pulled early. But manager Joe Maddon said he had no problem with Darvish’s comment, which was made tongue-in-cheek.

“One thing I’ve learned about Yu is he’s brutally honest and he is going to tell you exactly what he’s thinking at that moment,” Maddon said. “There’s no filter. And I think by him saying that the paradoxical intent is that he’ll walk (fewer) people.”

Waiting game

Maddon believes Kris Bryant has been too “pensive” in his early-season slump and was “constantly thinking about it” instead of relaxing.

Bryant was unavailable Friday to talk to the media after going 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the Cubs’ 5-1 victory against the Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field.

But even with Bryant (.235), Anthony Rizzo (.169) and Kyle Schwarber (.203) all off to slow starts, the Cubs have managed to climb out of their self-made hole. Their win Friday evened their record at 9-9 after they lost eight of their first 11 games.

“It’s kind of interesting, we actually have done pretty well in spite of some of the things that have been going on,” Maddon said. “It’s a combination of that, and the bullpen seems to finally be getting their feet on the ground.

“You look at the overall records and we’re still in decent shape, and yes, we’ve done that without the benefit of these three guys hitting like they’re capable of. I kind of like the way we’re trending.”

Extra innings

Tyler Chatwood will start Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks, with Jose Quintana moving to Tuesday for opener of the three-game Dodgers series at Wrigley. Maddon had no news about when Jon Lester would return from his left hamstring injury. Lester was eligible to come off the injured list Friday. … Though he pitched seven dominant innings for his first win on the season, Kyle Hendricks did throw a wild pitch in the second inning, his first in 6,662 pitches, including postseason appearances. The streak dated to Sept. 5, 2016. Hendricks said he got a “good laugh” out of the end of the streak: “I had no idea. I came into the clubhouse and someone brought that to my attention. Time to start a new streak.”

psullivan@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @PWSullivan

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