Arrieta continues hot streak for Chicago Cubs
Jake Arrieta is back to being appointment watching again.
It has been that way since the all-star break, and although Arrieta wasn't his sharpest Tuesday night, he still managed to toss 6 shutout innings for the Chicago Cubs in a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field.
Although he did throw 97 pitches and run some deep counts, Arrieta gave up only 2 hits as he ran his record to 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA since the all-star break. Of his 9 starts since the break, 8 have been quality efforts.
Arrieta improved his season record to 14-8 and lowered his ERA from 3.49 to 3.36. He endured a 25-pitch first inning, giving up a one-out double to Josh Harrison but stranding him at third base.
During the unofficial second half, Arrieta has flashed the form that made him the Cy Young Award winner in 2015 with a 22-6 record and 1.77 ERA. Last season Arrieta was 18-8 with a 3.10 ERA. So over the past two-plus seasons, Arrieta has piled up 54 victories.
As he tries to pitch the Cubs (71-60) to the playoffs for a third straight year and himself into a mega-contract, the anticipation is back when Arrieta makes a start.
"I didn't have great stuff tonight," he said. "In passing, (I) talked to Joe (manager Maddon) just now. When I came out of the game, I told him that was strictly just competing. Tried to mix some things and keep them off-balance at times. They fouled off a lot of good pitches."
Maddon echoed his pitcher's sentiments.
"You know, he didn't have his best everything, but he pitched; he competed, let me put it that way," the manager said. "A lot of foul balls. He just wasn't missing the bats. They kept extending at-bats. Pitch number got up there, but give him credit, man.
"He'll be the first one to tell you he did not have his normal command that he's had the last several outings, but when you compete like that, you deserve the win. He got it. That's what I saw."
The game was scoreless until Ben Zobrist led off the bottom of the sixth inning against Chad Kuhl with a first-pitch homer. It was Zobrist's 10th of the season.
The Cubs scored twice more in the inning, on a single by Alex Avila and a sacrifice fly by Jason Heyward. Anthony Rizzo added an RBI double in the eighth, his second double in the game.
Wade Davis worked the ninth and converted a franchise-record 27th straight save opportunity, surpassing Ryan Dempster's 26, from August 2005-May 2006. Davis' 33 straight saves dating to last season with Kansas City represent the longest active streak in the majors.
"He's rock solid," Arrieta said. "He goes out there. He doesn't show any emotion. He's extremely well composed. And he just executes pitch after pitch."