Jake Arrieta’s Dominant, Dreadful Start

CHICAGO — Cubs ace Jake Arrieta continued his year-long run of brilliance on Sunday afternoon, striking out 12 batters with one walk in a 3-2 home loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 30-year-old righty pounded the lower-half of the zone with his two-seam fastball, throwing it for 70 of his 108 pitches and generating a season-high 15 swinging strikes. The fastball averaged 95.6 miles per hour — his best velocity showing of the season — and topped out at 97.

The National League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner was locked in from the start, striking out the side in the first inning on fastballs of 96, 97, and 97, and doing so again in the second frame, this time all on breaking pitches. Arrieta’s 12 strikeouts were a season-high, and he became just the fifth pitcher since 1900 with 12 or more strikeouts in five innings or less, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“His stuff was electric today,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters after the game.

As a team, the Cubs struck out 18 Diamondbacks hitters, trying an Arizona franchise record for most strikeouts in a nine-inning game, a total set in an April 25, 2007 game against the Padres.

On a per-batter basis, it was arguably the most overpowering performance of Arrieta’s career. With 12 strikeouts in five innings, one walk, and no home runs allowed, Arrieta’s Fielding Independent Pitching mark for the game was -1.08, the best FIP in any of his 142 career starts. He generated ground balls on 60% of his balls in play, and allowed a better-than-average exit velocity of 88.1 miles per hour.

Arrieta helped himself out at the plate, too, smacking a 1-0 fastball off opposing starter Patrick Corbin for an RBI double over the head of center fielder Michael Bourn in the second inning to drive in Dexter Fowler. The 6-foot-4 hurler now owns a .695 OPS for the season, putting him in the top five among pitchers with at least 20 plate appearances.

That RBI double, though, accounted for half of Chicago’s offense. The only other damage the Cubs could muster against the southpaw Corbin came in the form of a solo home run by Javier Baez in the sixth inning that cut Chicago’s deficit to one run. The Cubs then went hitless over the final three innings, and Arrieta’s brilliant performance was for naught.

The loss marks the end of a 10-game homestand for Chicago, in which the Cubs went 8-2. They’ll travel to Philadelphia on Monday to kick off a three-game series that marks the start of a nine-game road trip. Lefty Jon Lester will take the hill in the series opener, opposing Phillies righty Adam Morgan. Arrieta’s next scheduled start comes on Friday, June 10 against the Braves, where he will look to build off Sunday’s dominant performance.

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CHICAGO — Cubs ace Jake Arrieta was knocked around on Sunday afternoon, allowing three runs in five innings on a season-high nine hits in a 3-2 home loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 30-year-old righty labored out of the gate, requiring 10 pitches to retire leadoff man Michael Bourn before walking the second hitter, Phil Gosselin, on six pitches. Arrieta was able to escape damage in the first inning, but the Diamonbacks capitalized on Arrieta’s struggles in the second.

Chris Herrmann led off the frame with a hard-hit ground ball that rolled to a stop in the outfield grass…

…before Chris Owings smoked a jam-shot in on the hands that proved too hot for right fielder Matt Szczur to handle.

Both runners scored on an RBI double by Yasmany Tomas, and the Cubs quickly found themselves in a 2-0 hole.

Arrieta held the Diamondbacks scoreless over the next two innings, though not without running up his pitch count. No at-bat was easy, as Arrieta averaged more than 20 pitches per inning over the first four frames, entering the fifth having already thrown 82 before running into trouble again.

It became apparent that Arrieta was off his game when he failed to retire opposing pitcher Patrick Corbin, who led off the fifth with a screaming line drive to left field.

Bourn then followed up Corbin’s smash with a moonshot to second baseman Ben Zobrist that came off the bat at 67 miles per hour, the highest exit velocity recorded by Statcast^TM among all hitters this season.

Bourn later scored on an RBI single by Paul Goldschmidt, putting the Cubs behind, 3-1, a deficit from which they could not recover.

“Obviously, Jake is a human. He’s going to give it up sometimes,” catcher Miguel Montero told reporters.

Arrieta lasted just five innings for the second time in three starts, tied for his shortest outings since a four-inning start in Cincinnati on August 28, 2014. Arrieta’s nine hits allowed on 10 balls in play were the most hits he’s given up in a game since a May 7, 2015 start in St. Louis.

“They had a pretty good approach,” Arrieta told reporters. “They made me show that I had the ability to throw strikes or get in the strike zone early, with the intent to get in some hitter-friendly counts. Pitch count got up.”

The loss marks the end of a 10-game homestand for Chicago, in which the Cubs went 8-2. They’ll travel to Philadelphia on Monday to kick off a three-game series that marks the start of a nine-game road trip. Lefty Jon Lester will take the hill in the series opener, opposing Phillies righty Adam Morgan. Arrieta’s next scheduled start comes on Friday, June 10 against the Braves, where he will look to right the ship after Sunday’s disappointing performance.