CHICAGO -- The Pirates are likely slated to play Jake Arrieta in the Wild Card game, and they're going to need every advantage they can get. On Friday, they displayed the way to win against a top of the rotation starter. It's easier said than done, but the approach on the hitting side involves bouncing the starter as early as possible.
In most cases, this is accomplished by scoring runs off the starter and getting to the bullpen earlier. But that doesn't seem like a realistic strategy against someone like Arrieta, who has an ERA under 1.00 in the second half.