Bam.
Considering the lineup, and it being his (secondary) debut with the Cubs, I just don’t know that Jake Arrieta could have possibly pitched any better today. A couple hits to Carlos Beltran and a couple walks. That’s it. That’s all Arrieta gave up in seven scoreless innings, topping it off with a seven-strikeout cherry. The dude simply has great stuff – the kind that probably teased the Orioles for so long that they agonized about giving him up in the first place. That’s not to say that Arrieta is a lock to continue being the guy we saw today (and against the Brewers in July), but it’s nice to know he can be this guy.
The offense took advantage of the consistently declining Jake Westbrook, and we had ourselves a good ‘ole fashioned blowout.