On the eve of his start in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series (Sunday, 7:30/8:07 p.m. ET, TBS), Arrieta was told of his manager's observation. He smiled.
"I'm human from time to time," Arrieta said.
Human was good enough to beat the Cardinals that night, with Arrieta surrendering four earned runs for the first time since mid-June in his first non-quality start in 22 outings, and the Cubs' offense picking him up by bashing a postseason-record six home runs.
Whether it was a blip in Arrieta's dominant stretch drive or the first sign of Arrieta bowing from the weight of a heavy workload will become clearer on Sunday, when he works opposite the Mets' Noah Syndergaard.