Another strong Arrieta outing pitches Cubs past Rockies
Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta has been down this road a few times this season. He starts off by throwing perfect or no-hit ball and winds up with a victory.
It was that way again Thursday in a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field. Arrieta didn't give up a hit until two were out in the fifth inning. He lasted 7 innings and gave up 3 hits and 1 run as he improved to 6-2 with a 2.11 ERA.
“Going in, I felt a little off,” he said. “In the pen, I realized it. I didn't feel like I had a lot of life on my fastball today, but I was able to come out with a good mix of off-speed pitches for strikes below the zone for swings and mixed in some change-ups. The cutter was pretty good today. Not being in patterns of predictability is really what makes things easy for me out there sometimes. I was able to get on a pretty good roll.”
Thursday marked the fourth time in his last 9 starts he has kept the opponent hitless through at least 4 innings.
Local kid rocking it:
Wednesday was a whirlwind for Rockies pitcher Rob Scahill, a graduate of Willowbrook High School. The 27-year-old right-hander was recalled from Class AAA Colorado Springs to help the Rockies bullpen after the 16-inning game Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
For his effort, Scahill got the win Wednesday night as the Rockies beat the Cubs 6-4 in 10 innings. Scahill pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up a hit and striking out one. It was his second career victory, and it came before about 30 friends and family members.
“I knew the days we'd be here,” Scahill said Thursday. “It's been good. The last two years, I've missed coming here by a few days each time. So it's nice to finally get here.”
Scahill was an eighth-round draft pick of the Rockies out of Bradley University in 2009. He made his major-league debut in 2012 and is in his second stint with the Rockies this season.
“Just whatever they need me to do,” he said. “Whenever they need me to pitch, I'll pitch.”
New guy to go on DL:
Left-hander Felix Doubront, obtained in a trade this week from Boston, will be put on the disabled list when he joins the Cubs. General manager Jed Hoyer said Doubront has a calf strain.
Doubront struggled with the Red Sox, going 2-4 with a 6.07 ERA. It's possible he'll go to Class AAA Iowa to pitch when he's healthy.
Sometimes guys need a change of scenery,” Hoyer said. “He's been pitching in the American League East. He's had parts of his career, moments of his career, when he's pitched really well. He was their third starter at the beginning of the year. Obviously he's been struggling. Sometimes when you get a guy, you get a change of scenery, you get different coaches, different ballparks, different league. You hope that clicks together.”
Roster moves coming:
The Cubs haven't announced roster replacements for traded reliever James Russell and infielder-outfielder Emilio Bonifacio. They'll do that when they open a weekend series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Reliever Kyuji Fujikawa is an option for the bullpen in the coming days. He has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery at Iowa, and his stint is up soon.