Arrieta Leads the Charge as Cubs Overpower Pirates

Jake Arrieta looked almost human tonight or at least in the first inning. Just enough to give Pirates fans some hope. He walked the first two batters and the Pirates had men in scoring position but could not take advantage of it. Those were the only two walks that Jake allowed in the game as he settled in after that and completely dominated. In seven innings, Jake gave up only two hits and struck out five batters to get his sixth win of the year. He is now one of eight pitchers in the liveball era who have won 17 straight decisions.

Cubs win big, again, over Pittsburgh 7-1 (Box Score).

Offense matters

The cubs offense can be overpowering but it is also patient and opportunistic. They approached every at-bat tonight with confidence and you could see the effect it was having on the Pirates. They looked helpless and frustrated the entire game and, if I have to be honest, I almost (almost) felt sorry for them. It’s hard to watch a team that’s getting tortured but it’s definitely better than being on the other side, which we all know the Cubs have been before, too much.

Every Cubs player was involved in this one and, once again, every single starter, including Jake Arrieta, got on base. There is no batter in the lineup, including the pitcher’s spot, that isn’t a threat to get on base and make something happen. Seven different players each scored a run and seven different players each got an RBI. When the Cubs play like this I just don’t see how they can lose. I suppose that explains why they have the best record in baseball at 19-6.

Bullpen matters

Trevor Cahill came on in the eighth inning in relief of Jake Arrieta and you could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from Pirates fans knowing that Jake was out. Cahill gave up one run, one hit and one walk while striking out two. Overall a solid performance from him to close things out.

Next up

The Cubs close out the series against Pittsburgh tomorrow and go for the sweep as Jon Lester takes the ball for the Cubs. Game time is 11:35 CDT.