Levine: Jake Arrieta Moves To A Perfect 7-0 As Cubs Dominate Pirates
By Bruce Levine --
CHICAGO (CBS) -- If it's Jake Arrieta's day to pitch, it means the Chicago Cubs will be flying the W flag over their historic scoreboard in center field.
After Arrieta improved to 7-0 in his team's 8-2 win against the Pirates at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon, the Cubs have won 21 straight regular-season starts by Arrieta extending back to July 2015.
Once again, Pittsburgh took it on the chin from Arrieta and company. The Bucs have lost all five games they've played against the Cubs this season, by a cumulative 37-11 score. Pittsburgh has now fallen nine games behind Chicago in the NL Central.
Arrieta went eight innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out 11. He fell behind 2-0 in the fourth inning when Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli singled home two runs, but Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo's three-run home run in the bottom of the frame off Jeff Locke gave Chicago a lead it would never relinquish.
"That was a huge swing of the bat by Anthony," Arrieta said. "It picked me up. Whenever you can put up a crooked number after I go out and give a run or two, that bodes really well for our ball club."
The Cubs' 27-8 start tied for the best 35-game beginning to a season in franchise history, along with the 1907 team. It's also the best start in the major leagues since the 1984 Detroit Tigers went 30-5 to start the 1984 campaign.
"The thing I like the most is we come to play every day," manager Joe Maddon said. "We don't say, 'Oh, we have a nice record, we won the series' and just show up. That is not how our guys operate. I have a better opportunity to see them work because of this (new) clubhouse. Like watching Addison (Russell) today, it was spectacular watching him get ready for the game. I see our relief pitchers constantly doing things to get ready early in the morning.
"When I stand in the dugout, I just tell myself, 'Trust your players.' They are doing all the right things. They are getting ready to play, and nobody is mailing it in. This does not happen all of the time. I am telling you, it doesn't."
Russell has quietly established himself as an impact run producer, as his 27 RBIs rank in the top 10 in the NL. His three-run home run in the sixth inning iced the game for Arrieta and the Cubs.
"I am always impressed with Addison," Arrieta said. "Whether he is hitting .320 or not, his defense shows up every day. He is capable of some pretty special things when he is on the field. It is just matter of time until he comes into his own. He is such a young player, to see the promise for him is incredible."
The Cubs now have a run differential of plus-110 and boast four of the top six players in the NL in runs scored. At the completion of Saturday's game, Rizzo led the NL with 33 RBIs
"The position I bat in gives me a lot of opportunities to drive in runs," Russell said. "I think we are pretty close in RBIs right now, and that is pretty cool to see. He (Rizzo) is doing a really good job as well."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
