On the second anniversary of his arrival to the Chicago Cubs in trade, Jake Arrieta pitched like the guy he’s become, not the guy he was when the Baltimore Orioles gave up on him.
The fastball was located. The velocity was up. The breaking pitches were sharp.
The Mets were overwhelmed:
On the game, Arrieta struck out seven, walked none, allowed five hits and an earned run over his eight innings of work. He lowered his ERA/FIP/xFIP to 2.80/2.73/2.72, and increased his WAR to 2.8 – the third best in the National League among all starting pitchers.
Since coming to the Cubs:Â 2.81/2.86/3.02 over 314.1 innings.
Arrieta also made an impressive double play on a liner right back at his noggin:
There’s a lot of self-preservation involved in a play like that, but also athleticism and presence of mind. If Arrieta doesn’t turn and fire immediately to second base, they don’t get that double play. (Also, kudos to Starlin Castro for holding the bag on an incredible catch – and for leaving a tag on the runner as he came down, just in case he had failed to hold the bag, and in case the runner came off the bag.)