Chicago Cubs ace Arrieta says he feels good

Cup of coffee in hand, Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta chatted with the media Sunday morning.

On Tuesday against the New York Mets, Arrieta will make his first start since July 8, when he pitched 6 innings at Pittsburgh, giving up 9 hits and 6 runs.

The ace of the Cubs' staff was named to the National League all-star team, but he did not pitch in last Tuesday's All-Star Game. Instead, he opted for rest and to throw his side sessions.

Asked how he felt and about the time off, he replied: "Same, normal. I feel good. I think maybe a little too much is being made of the time off. The rotation was set weeks ago. It is what it is. I feel good."

That said, he did admit the downtime was good and that it was good to spend time with his family and enjoy the all-star experience in San Diego.

"Not picking up a ball for four days was exactly what I needed," he said. "Sometimes you need that mental downtime. Spending time with (son) Cooper and my family was tremendous. I picked up a ball for the first time in four or five days and threw the best pen I had thrown all year.

"Just kind of mentally putting things down and coming back to it a few days later is sometimes the best medicine. Not that there's any reason to panic, but being able to have that down time and experiencing the all-star week like I was able to with my friends and family was a great experience."

Cubs manager Joe Maddon came out of the break by giving Arrieta and lefty Jon Lester extra rest. Lester will pitch Monday night's series opener against the Mets at Wrigley Field.

"I'm just eager to see how these guys react to the extra time off," Maddon said. "I think you'll see it in two ways. If you look at the (radar) gun, the number, and if it's being located. Those will be the two telltale signs of whether or not the rest has really done some good for all these guys. I imagine it's going to."

Arrieta said he is looking for a couple of things as well.

"I think just being more efficient early in counts," he said. "I'm not typically a high-walk guy, so a 3- to 4-start stretch of having 3-plus walks is not ideal because that just wastes 15-20-25 pitches, and that's something that gets you out of the game 2 or 3 innings earlier than you'd like to be out of the game.

"Being more efficient early in the count, minimizing the free passes and making them earn is what I'm looking forward to doing."

Better luck next time:

The Cubs had a threat in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Texas Rangers wiped out when Jason Heyward lined into a double play with runners on first and second and no outs in the seventh. Matt Szczur followed with a groundout.

Manager Joe Maddon lamented Heyward's bat luck at the plate. The outfielder is batting .236.

"He is, honestly, and I've said it before, the most unlucky fellow," Maddon said. "Well-struck balls at people all year. That's a game changer in that particular moment, a line drive right at the first baseman.

"What are you going to possibly do? He keeps working. I know you guys can see it from up top: a better swing, better results off the bat. It will happen because of his approach."