Arrieta shows he is human, but still best in baseball
Jake Arrieta yields a rare run at Wrigley Field, but he’s still better than everyone else,
In the moments after Alex Presley hit a routine RBI double Thursday afternoon, a Wrigley Field crowd of 32,734 went silent and then, after pausing to grasp what they witnessed, cheered in appreciation.
It was the first time in nearly a year when Jake Arrieta looked almost human at the Friendly Confines.
Presley’s hit marked the first time since July 25, 2015, that Arrieta gave up a run at Wrigley Field. The streak ends at 522⁄3 innings, the longest ever in the National League, just short of Chicago White Sox pitcher Ray Herbert’s major leaguerecord 54-inning streak in 1962-63.
“It had to end at some point,” Arrieta said. “We’ll try to start another one.”
Arrieta, who pitched a no-hitter in his last start and had not given up a run in 23 2⁄3 innings, then had Cubs manager Joe Maddon break another glorious streak in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Maddon pinch-hit for Arrieta with the Cubs up 5-1 and Arrieta at 92 pitches.
It was the first time since June 15, 2015, that Arrieta had not pitched at least six innings, ending a streak of 24 quality starts (yielding three or fewer earned runs in six innings). He fell shy of Hall of Famer Bob Gibson’s major league-record 26 quality starts in 1967-68.
“I saw 92 pitches,” Maddon said. “I saw Jake Arrieta. I saw the Cubs trying to win a World Series. I saw the next five years of his career. I know his kids really well.
“All of that stuff mattered much more than breaking Gibson’s record right there.”
No matter, by the end of the day, Arrieta still set another franchise record, with the Cubs winning his last 18 starts, outscoring the opposition 99-22. Oh, yeah, and he is 5-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 16-0 with a 0.58 ERA since Aug. 1.
Yes, even on Arrieta’s worst day, he still is better than anyone else on the planet.
“For him to have an off night, and he gives up one run,” catcher David Ross said. “I mean, he’s 5-0. I don’t think anyone’s worried around here.”
Least of all Arrieta, who couldn’t command his twoseam fastball, walking four of the 21 batters he faced and still giving the Milwaukee Brewers absolute fits.
“There are days you wake up when you don’t feel good,” Arrieta, 30, told USA TODAY Sports. “But the one reminder to me from a sports psychologist is that no one cares how you feel. You’re not promised to feel good today. It’s what are you going to do mentally and physically to overcome that.
“I want to present to the other side that I am still at my best. Your presentation, your composure and presence on the mound and how you dictate to the other team is hugely important to your ability to have success.”
So even though Arrieta’s routine was thrown out of whack all week, shooting a men’s clothing commercial one day, answering questions about performanceenhancing drugs the next, lashing at an ESPN personality and even a rainout, he overcame control woes to still dominate the Brewers.
“He’s so tough,” Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. “It’s that delivery. You can never get used to something like that. It’s coming behind you, at an angle, and it creates a level of deception. You can’t get used to it. We’re used to seeing the ball come straight towards us, and the ball’s coming from you at an angle.”
This day, Arrieta woke up, drank his 24 ounces of water, had a light meal, worked out when he got to Wrigley, listened to mellow ambient music to clear the mind, put Atomic Balm on his back to create a wave of irritating heat across his body, went to the mound and simply competed.
After five innings, it wasn’t pretty: three hits, one run, four walks and six strikeouts.
It was his worst regularseason performance in 10 months, and he still is 21-1 with a 0.89 ERA in his last 25 starts.
No matter, the Cubs just keep on rolling. They are 16-5 and outscoring the opposition 130-56. It’s the second-greatest run differential after 21 games since at least 1940, according to Baseball Information Solutions, trailing only the 2003 New York Yankees.
You can’t even unnerve the guy by asking if this surreal run draws suspicion of PED use, with Arrieta laughing about it and firing back at ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who questioned whether Arrieta should be laughing at his cynics.
“I haven’t seen him change a bit,” Maddon said. “I think he really handles the most particular moments really well. He’s very matter-of-fact. He’s very self-confident. He knows who he is.
“So when he answers the question, he can answer them in a genuine manner and feel really good about himself. Wouldn’t we all like to be like that?”
Yes, even if you do occasionally give up a run.