NEWSLETTER
Whew!
Jake Arrieta and the Cubs were a single strike – with a runner on first base – away from a scoreless first inning. But a stolen base and a couple hits later, and suddenly they were in yet another multi-run hole to start a game. Don’t get me wrong, I love comebacks. But this cannot continue. I know for certain there’s some flukiness to it. But I’m not so sure it’s *entirely* flukiness.
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From there, Arrieta looked largely like he has this year: you question the results, but the stuff looks good and the command looks much better than most of last year. He wound up going six innings and allowing just one other run, striking out seven while walking no one after the first inning.
The bullpen was set up well to go 7-8-9, and overall, Cubs pitchers struck out 11 while walking just 2. I always like that.
It was a tough night in right field for Ben Zobrist, even if it doesn’t show up in the error column. On each of the Phillies first three runs, there was a play involving right field that Jason Heyward *possibly* makes if he’s out there. Zobrist made none of them, and it cost the Cubs three runs.
Willson Contreras was largely the offensive difference in the game for the Cubs, knocking in two with a pinch hit double in the 6th inning, and then scoring from second base on an infield single by Matt Szczur. The ball was up the middle and stopped, and Contreras … just kept on running. It was kind of an insane thing to do, but it worked (with a great slide), so … hooray!
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