Cubs' Jake Arrieta On His Resurgence: 'Was Just A Matter Of Time'

(CBS) Say this much for Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta: He's never lacked for confidence.

The man who once replied "Whatever helps keep your hope alive, just know, it doesn't matter" to a Pirates fan boasting days ahead of the 2015 National League wild-card game that Chicago would win, Arrieta believed all along in this 2017 season that he would regain his top form even after an uneven start. And recently, he's done just that.

Arrieta has registered six consecutive quality starts out of the All-Star break, going 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA and holding batters to a .190 average in that stretch. He's now 12-8 with a 3.73 ERA and 1.20 WHIP for the season after his ERA had skyrocketed to 5.44 in mid-May.

"I knew it was just a matter of time," Arrieta said in an interview with Dan Bernstein and Jason Goff on 670 The Score on Wednesday afternoon. "I talked to you guys about it in the past before, I wasn't pitching the way I would've like or the way I'd expect to perform. Some of that had to do with not executing, some of it had to do with a little bit of bad luck. Some just had to do with not being on top of my game. It happened to transpire for a little long than I liked, but I knew if I continued to do what I always do, then things would end up turning around and I'd continue to give innings and the success would just follow. That's kind of the position I'm in."

The 31-year-old Arrieta believes he's found a groove, even at a point in time when the toll of a long season can begin showing its effects.

"Pretty much after June, nobody's 100 percent," Arrieta said. "I think limiting your effort while you're on the mound, especially in-game, is something you can really to do off-set that fatigue. Like I said earlier, less is more the majority of the time. And if you can just decrease the effort slightly, that's going to help combat the fatigue. And it's not going to take away from your stuff. I know from personal experience that when I'm at my best, I'm really exerting effort at about 80 percent. The ball doesn't come out any slower. It just feels like I'm a little bit more under control of my body and much more able to locate."