Jake can’t be just good
NEW YORK — Jake Arrieta is still good. Very good, by most indications.
But can the Cubs pull off all their big plans this year without him being much, much better? Without him returning to something close to the form that earned him the Cy Young Award last year and a 9- 0 start through May?
“It’s really important,” manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s really important to our success.”
A dominant Arrieta was what got the Cubs to the playoffs last year. The front office built a $ 290 million offseason around him, filling needs for the two- year window in which they’d have club control over their ace.
Arrieta’s performance is critical the second half of the season, allowing the rest of the roster to fall into place behind him, including a bullpen built to cover the difference for five- and six- inning starts two days out of five — not three.
“The biggest thing is just innings and getting more deeply into the games,” Maddon said. “Just to be able to get him back pitching into the seventh inning, maybe right around 100, 105 pitches, would be kind of a nice thing. And if he did, I’m sure we’re going to be in pretty good position to win that game. And, of course, what it does for the bullpen [ is big].
“I fully anticipate it’s going to happen. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. But I’m not here to tell you exactly when.”
Since his no- hitter April 21, Arrieta has lasted 5 ⅓ innings or less in seven of 13 starts. Since the end of May, he’s 3- 3 with a 4.05 ERA and 17 walks in 33 ⅓ innings and 11 walks in his last 14 ⅓.
“I need to be in more pitcher- friendly counts — that’s really the summary, from my perspective,” said Arrieta, still tied for the National League lead in wins ( 12) and ranked third in ERA ( 2.33). “I need to get after it a little bit more and force the issue. I’ll use the extra day [ before the next start Friday] to do some things, whether it’s in the weight room or on the side. I need to do a better job of just getting a feel out front and finishing pitches, and having the aggressiveness through the strike zone, trying to work through the catcher more, as opposed to trying to be fine to the corners.”
Arrieta said he’s frustrated it has taken so long to return to the sharpness that put him among baseball’s pitching elite. But he isn’t worried.
“We’re spinning our wheels a little bit too much [ talking about] trying to figure out what the solution is, or is there a problem,” he said. “I just need to pitch better. That’s it. Bottom line.”