Cy in sight: Arrieta first in NL to 16 wins
SAN DIEGO — Almost a year to the day after he concluded a West Coast trip for the Cubs by pitching a no- hitter, Jake Arrieta had the same look Tuesday night.
He settled for eight scoreless innings of two- hit pitching to beat the Padres 5- 3 for his fourth consecutive victory and continued his assault on a second consecutive Cy Young Award.
Arrieta ( 16- 6) took over the National League lead in wins and moved up to fourth in ERA ( 2.62). He allowed a second- inning single and an eighth- inning double, retiring 10 in a row until the double.
Kris Bryant, who went to college a few miles away at the University of San Diego, hit his second home run in as many games of the series — his fifth in six games overall.
And power- binging Addison Russell hit a two- run homer for his fourth in three games.
Russell’s response
Russell, the Cubs’ young shortstop, has spent much of the six weeks since his All- Star appearance in San Diego answering the critics who suggested he didn’t deserve the selection.
“Like I said [ then], just watch me over the course of a year,” said Russell, who has 19 homers and is one of only three shortstops in Cubs history with 80 RBI ( now 82).
“The numbers may not be great or whatever, but I contribute to my team every single day. I play my heart out for my team.”
His numbers since the All- Star break ( through Monday): .279 with a .516 slugging percentage and .866 OPS.
“Now he’s showing everybody how good he is,” manager Joe Maddon said.
Heyward confident for playoffs
After hitting his first homer of August in his return to the lineup Monday, struggling outfielder Jason Heyward wasn’t looking far enough down the road to consider the playoffs or whether his performance down the stretch will influence his playing status in October.
“I’m not worried about six weeks; I’m worried about tomorrow,” said Heyward, whose seasonlong slump led to a four- day stretch on the bench until Monday. “Playoff- wise, my teammates know I can help this team win. My manager, my coaches — I know I can help this team win. That’s the bottom line.”
After going 1- for- 4 with the tworun shot Monday, he was hitting .225 with six homers in the first year of his eight- year, $ 184 million deal.
Lackey update
A light throwing session went well enough that John Lackey ( shoulder) could be on track for a bullpen session this weekend in Los Angeles.
Lackey is eligible to return from the disabled list next week at home. He’s expected to be activated soon after the roster expands Sept. 1, barring a setback.
Quality in eye of beholder
After earning a share of the major- league lead in quality starts with his 20th on Monday night, Jon Lester seemed unimpressed with the achievement — especially after being irritated that he was lifted in the seventh.
“I don’t really like quality starts,” he said. “It’s kind of a made- up stat that helps guys that don’t go deep into ballgames. I think that quality starts should go to the seventh inning more so than the sixth.”