Arrieta making his first start after break Tuesday

No one expects Jake Arrieta to repeat the historic second half he put together last season.

Half as good might suffice, in truth, for the Cubs.

Arrieta makes his first start of this season's second half on Tuesday night, when he faces fellow all-star Noah Syndergaard (9-4, 2.56 ERA) of the Mets at Wrigley Field. And the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner will be looking to capture some of last year's second-half mojo, when he went 12-1 with a 0.75 ERA in 107⅓ innings.

Arrieta (12-4, 2.68 ERA) said on Monday that "not picking up a ball for four days" was exactly what he needed. The rested righty, who did not pitch in last Tuesday's All-Star Game, went into the break with just a 3-4 record and 4.81 ERA in his last seven starts. After posting a 1.00 ERA in April and earning NL pitcher-of-the-month honors, Arrieta registered a 2.08 ERA in May and 3.54 ERA in June. In his pair of July starts, he's yielded 10 runs in 11⅓ innings.

He's had 10 days off since his last start, when he allowed 6 runs in 6 innings at Pittsburgh.

"It really comes down to the fastball and the command of that fastball, because everything else plays off that," manager Joe Maddon said. "If you're not in good counts - meaning 1-2, 0-1, whatever - then (the batter) doesn't have to honor all the other (pitches), the slider, the curveball, the changeup.

"He needs to start getting back that."

Opponents are hitting just .127 (10-for-79) when the count is 1-2 against Arrieta. When they're ahead in the count at 2-1 against him, they're batting only .240 (6-for-25). Arrieta's control of the strike zone, or lack thereof, is more evident in his walk total. His 43 bases on balls in 114⅓ innings this season are just 5 fewer than he allowed in 229 innings in 2015.

"That 1-1 count to me is a significant moment in a game for a pitcher," Maddon said. "Just check out the numbers regarding when 1-1 goes to 2-1 or when 1-1 goes to 1-2. The OPS is incredibly different. Unbelievably different.

"I like the battle of the 1-1 counts, and I like the battle of the 3-2 counts," Maddon added. "If you're winning 1-1 and winning 3-2, you're doing pretty good. You will win a lot of games."

Arrieta, who hasn't pitched past the sixth inning in his last five starts, has only 1 win in his last four starts.