[adinserter block=”2″]That game looked a whole lot more like the rest of the season than the one the Cubs played yesterday, eh?
Great pitching, great defense, great plate appearances, and a sizable offensive output.
Jake Arrieta has not allowed a regular season run at Wrigley Field since last July. Wrap your head around the implausibility of that. That’s a 48.2 inning scoreless streak. Eight of those innings came today in a dominating performance where just about everything was working for the Cubs’ ace. We’ll dig more into his start later, I’d imagine, but eight innings, five hits, one walk, eight strikeouts? And looking as sharp as he did? There’s not a ton more you can say. He’s just so freaking good.
Offensively, the Cubs didn’t break through until the second time through the order, but then they started hitting the ball with authority.
Also, Javier Baez had a nice day in his return to the Cubs, with a hustle single, a controlled-swing double with two strikes (albeit on a pitch he should have probably taken), and some really nice plays in the field. Yes, he swung through some pitches when he got a little excited at the plate, but that’s to be expected on a day like today. All in all, I was encouraged.
Back to that offense, though …