Arrieta sharp in opening act for Chicago Cubs

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jake Arrieta may have the toughest act to follow in all of baseball.

After all, how do you improve on a season in which you go 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA and win the Cy Young Award?

Arrieta made a pretty good go of it Monday night in the season opener against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He picked up right where he left off last year, working 7 shutout innings, giving up 2 hits, as the Chicago Cubs cruised to a 9-0 victory. Arrieta walked one, struck out six and threw 89 pitches.

All the while, what looks to be a pretty potent lineup did its part by seeing plenty of pitches and getting the big hits when needed.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon was trying his best before the game to sound realistic about Arrieta.

"Just understand, it's going to be very difficult for him to do what he did last year," Maddon said. "I still expect that he's going to pitch extremely well. But that was unworldly a little bit in the second half of the year. I would not anticipate that many innings (229) out of him again. I think it's really important that we temper that. I want this guy to have a long major-league career.

"So far so good going into the season. He feels great. Understand that he's got a chance to be really good again, but understand that was a little bit above and beyond last year."

Arrieta seemed ready for anything.

"Numbers wise, it's tough to expect that," he said of replicating last year. "I do. I still do. I expect to pitch this way every time I take the mound. Once the ball leaves your hands, you can't dictate the results. I expect to execute at a pretty high percentage. If I execute, if I pound the strike zone with my stuff and keep them guessing with my stuff, I'll have a pretty good opportunity to have another good year."

Arrieta also said it was good to get the first game and first win out of the way.

"We prepare for this," he said. "The last game of the season we played in the NLCS, we were ready for this moment. Guys came to camp ready with a game plan, well prepared. Everybody executed appropriately. It all comes to a head in a game like this."

The Cubs' offense wasted no time getting started against Angels starting pitcher Garrett Richards.

Dexter Fowler, whom the Cubs re-signed in spring training, led off the game with a double to right field. It looked like Fowler might be stranded after Jason Heyward grounded out and Ben Zobrist struck out, but Anthony Rizzo drove him home with a single to center field.

Maddon didn't set his lineup until Monday morning, and it featured Jorge Soler as the designated hitter.

At least for Monday night, the 3-4-5 in the order was Zobrist, Rizzo and Kris Bryant, with Kyle Schwarber hitting fifth. The lineup figures to be fluid most of the season.

"I think Zo has the ability to get on base as often as KB does hitting in front of (Rizzo)," Maddon said. "I may change my mind as this plays out. The No. 3 hitter comes up with two outs and nobody on more than anybody else. If that's the case, I like it to be Zobrist getting on base for Rizzo."

The Cubs got RBI singles from Soler and Miguel Montero in the fourth. Montero hit the Cubs' first home run of the season, a 2-run drive to right field in the sixth.

"It always feels good when you hit a home run," Montero said.