After yesterday’s 4-2 win over the Pirates, Jake Arrieta now has half as many wins with the Cubs this season as he did last year with the Phillies. The 35-year-old didn’t have his best stuff and seemed to be laboring through each of the 89 pitches he threw, often looking like he was on the verge of allowing a big inning.
The former ace threw 54 pitches in the first three innings, barely half of which were strikes. The next frame was nearly disastrous as Arrieta missed the plate on 16 of his 27 pitches, including two four-pitch walks to Pittsburgh’s Nos.