Jake Arrieta is finally healthy again. In his second consecutive start, Arrieta teased the sports world with another near no-hitter, this time in Fenway Park vs. the Red Sox.
Arrieta started off in command once again, retiring the game’s first thirteen hitters, before a walk to Mike Napoli in the 5th inning ended the perfect game bid. But that didn’t phase him. Arrieta cruised into the 8th inning with the no hitter intact, relying on pinpoint control of his mid 90’s fastball, and the knee buckling, nasty sliders that had even TV announcers Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies exclaiming, “Wow.”
Dustin Pedroia was clearly impressed as well. “He’s got great stuff. His cutter(slider) was down in the zone. His four-seam, he elevated it. He kept every pitch out of the zone. Three at-bats, I don’t think I got one good pitch to hit. You’ve just got to tip your hat.”( Ian Browne / MLB.com)
With one out in the 8th inning, Arrieta gave up a solid single to right field and the no hitter was gone, but what came next was very special for Arrieta. The capacity crowd at Fenway Park gave him a well deserved standing ovation.
“Something like that in Fenway is pretty rare for an opposing team,” Arrieta said of the fans’ reaction. “I got some goose bumps there, and that’s why you play the game is for moments like that. I’m very thankful to be a part of something like that and to get another win.” ( Carrie Muskat / MLB.com)
If not for the incredible month that Clayton Kershaw put together, Jake Arrieta would certainly be the top candidate for Player of the Month in the National League. Arrieta was 4-0 in June, striking out 48 batters while walking only 6. His ERA was a ridiculous 0.92. The fact that Arrieta won’t win the award shows you how filthy Clayton Kershaw is right now.
For a team being criticized for lack of pitching depth in the minors, the Chicago Cubs have shown the ability to find veteran guys like Hammel and Arrieta as commodities. Whether they keep them or flip them only time will tell.
Don’t look now, but the Cubs are doing it the right way.
For more on sports injuries, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
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