Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (6/9/21): Cubs 3, Padres 1 – Arrieta leads Cubs to victory over Darvish and Padres

Jake Arrieta (5-6, 5.26 ERA) toed the rubber against Yu Darvish (6-1, 2.25 ERA) in the series finale, looking for his first quality start since May 14 against Detroit. Over his last seven outings, Arrieta is 2-5 with a 6.97 ERA, allowing 37 hits and 14 walks in 31 innings.

Manny Machado opened the scoring for San Diego with an RBI single in the bottom of the 3rd. Joc Pederson answered right back in the 4th, tying the game with a bomb to right-center.

Arrieta’s day ended in the 6th when he was pulled for a pinch hitter. He went five innings, allowing one earned run on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

After Ian Happ opened up the 7th inning with a walk, Anthony Rizzo pushed him across to score the go-ahead run with a ground-out into a double play. Sergio Alcántara gave the Cubs some much-needed insurance with a solo shot to right in 8th.

That was all the Cubs’ offense would need as the bullpen dominated once again, securing a series win by a final of 3-1. (Box Score)

Why the Cubs Won

A great start from Arrieta, timely hitting, and another lockdown effort by the bullpen resulted in today’s victory.

Key Moment

In the 7th inning, with runners on the corners and the score tied 1-1, Rizzo grounded into a double play, giving Chicago the lead. This ultimately turned out to be the game-winning run as the bullpen kept San Diego at bay from that point forth.

Stats That Matter

• Since May 1, Pederson ranks 2nd in hard-hit rate (58.0), defined as a ball that is struck at 95 mph or higher.
• Alcántara went 1-for-3 with a home run. Since being called up, he’s slashing .304/.320/1.016.
• Cubs pitching retired the last 15 batters in a row, eight of which were via the strikeout.

Bottom Line

Arrieta bounced back in a significant way. He consistently pitched ahead in the count and attacked the Padres hitters with aggression. He had been scuffling since mid-May, and this kind of performance against one of the best teams in the league should go a long way towards building his confidence.

On Deck

The Cubs are off tomorrow and then return home to host St. Louis on Friday. Kyle Hendricks (7-4, 4.59 ERA) will take the mound against Johan Oviedo (0-2, 5.25) in game one of the series. Wrigley Field will be at 100 percent capacity for the first time since 2019, so this should be a lot of fun. First pitch is scheduled for 1:20 pm CT on Marquee, MLB Network, 670 The Score, and WRTO for Spanish speakers.