Jake Arrieta: Long All-Star Break 'Just What I Needed'

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The post-All Star Game hoopla is in the past, and Cubs ace Jake Arrieta is ready to try to regain the magic of 2015 and the first two months of this season.

Arrieta is 34-10 since the beginning of the 2015 season, with 44 decisions in 51 starts, but he's struggled lately. He didn't pitch in last Tuesday's All-Star Game after telling NL manager Terry Collins that he preferred not to.

"Not pitching for four days was just what I needed," Arrieta confessed about his off-time during the All-Star break. "Sometimes you just need that mental downtime. Spending time with the family was so helpful. I picked up a ball after missing four or five days and had the best bullpen session I have had all year."

After starting the season 9-0, Arrieta has been mediocre by his own standard over the past three weeks, allowing 15 earned runs in his past 16 1/3 innings across three starts. Arrieta will have had a full 10 days of rest before pitching against the Mets on Tuesday.

"A little to much has been made of the time off," Arrieta said. "The rotation was set weeks ago. It is what it is. Yes, I do feel good."

Since his 9-0 start, Arrieta has gone 3-4 and hasn't been his usual dominant self, leading to questions of what's wrong.

"Listen, last year the run I went on was great," Arrieta said Sunday. "Would everybody like to pitch that way all of the time? Yes. If we are being realistic, regardless of how good you are or how well you pitched in the past, there are times you go out there and not be at your best. The guys on the other side are good too. You are going to get beat. You are going to give up runs from time to time. This just happened to come in a three-start stretch, where I happened to give up four, five, or six runs. So that didn't look great."

Arrieta believes he has regained some of the mental edge he had going prior to this brief downturn in performance.

"The results are what they are," he said. "From my perspective, I want to continue to do what I have been doing in between starts. I believe I can iron out some things. I am looking to find the timing and transition that into the game."

Part of the newfound good feeling for Arrieta is regaining his command during his last start in Pittsburgh last weekend. During that six-plus-inning outing, he walked just one batter. That was a vast improvement from his previous four starts.

"When I am walking guys, it is overly frustrating," Arrieta said. "That is because they have a hard time doing a lot of damage if I am just putting the ball in the strike zone. In Pittsburgh, I felt really crisp. I gave up some runs, but the command of the strike zone was really good. For me, it's about finding the balance and being in thew zone early and trying to expand late."

Arrieta has thrown two side sessions since his July 8 start. He said he gets into trouble when he starts nibbling at the strike zone.

"This is about being mentally tough," he said. "I must be aware of this and be better inside the strike zone."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.