Game One Hundred Nineteen – Cubs 7, Braves 1
WP – Jake Arrieta (15-6) LP – Mike Foltynewicz (4-5) Save – None
Jake Arrieta completed six shutout innings. Chris Coghlan drove in a pair of runs. Anthony Rizzo launched a three-run home. Addison Russell added a solo shot and Miguel Montero delivered a clutch, two-out run scoring double as the Cubs beat the Braves on Thursday night at the old ballyard.
Jake Arrieta was outstanding once again. And if not for a couple of missed calls in the fifth inning, he would have pitched deeper in the game. Arrieta recorded his 12th straight quality start Thursday and that stat doesn’t represent how good he actually pitched.
Arrieta did not allow the Braves to elevate a single ball throughout his six innings. Arrieta struck out seven and recorded 11 groundball outs. The Braves made very little solid contact and the four hits he surrendered were all singles. Anthony Rizzo set the tone for the defense in the first inning and outside of an error by Kris Bryant in the fourth, the defense made all of the plays behind Arrieta.
Jake Arrieta picked up his league leading 15th win of the season after allowing four hits with a walk and seven strikeouts on 107 pitches, 65 for strikes, in six innings.
The Braves only run scored on a sac fly by Adonis Garcia off Justin Grimm in the eighth. Cubs’ pitching gave up eight hits, all singles, and walked only two batters with 11 strikeouts.
Jake Arrieta is 7-1 and the Cubs are 8-3 in games he starts following a loss.
Chris Coghlan (2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored) put the Cubs on the board in the third inning. Coghlan singled in Addison Russell (2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored).
Anthony Rizzo (1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and three RBI) followed Coghlan in the third with a three-run homer to right. The Cubs played longball again in the fourth.
Addison Russell hit his eighth of the season, a solo shot off Mike Foltynewicz in the fourth.
The Cubs scored two jug runs in the fifth. After Kyle Schwarber (0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored) walked, Chris Coghlan tripled him in. Miguel Montero (1-for-4 with a double and a RBI) just missed a home run to center, settled for a double off the ivy and driving in Coghlan from third with two outs.
Dexter Fowler (2-for-4 with a run scored) was on base two more times and scored on Rizzo’s blast.
The Cubs scored seven runs on nine hits, four for extra bases, and three walks.
With Thursday’s win, the Cubs improved to 68-51 on the season.
Jake Arrieta set the Braves down in order in the third inning. Arrieta needed 45 pitches, 33 for strikes, to complete three scoreless innings.
Addison Russell led off the bottom of the third with a single to left. Dexter Fowler ripped a 1-2 pitch from Mike Foltynewicz off Jace Peterson’s glove into right. With runners on first and second with no outs, Kyle Schwarber popped a 2-2 pitch to third, infield fly.
Chris Coghlan took two out of the zone and that was all Fredi Gonzalez could take. The Braves’ skipper was tossed by homeplate umpire Doug Eddings for arguing balls and strikes. Gonzalez got his money’s worth before he went back in the dugout and into the clubhouse.
Coghlan pulled the next pitch from Foltynewicz into right. Russell scored, 1-0 Cubs.
Anthony Rizzo stepped in to the box sitting fastball and crushed the first offering from Foltynewicz. Rizzo hit the 98 mph fastball off the video board down the right field line. And the Cubs took a 4-0 lead on Rizzo mammoth shot.
Kris Bryant struck out swinging and Miguel Montero tapped a 2-2 pitch up the first baseline that Foltynewicz fielded and took to the bag for the third out.
The Cubs led 4-0 after three innings.
Cameron Maybin started the fourth and reached on an error by Kris Bryant. The bouncer hit off the end of his glove and Russell had no play. Freddie Freeman beat the shift with a tapper toward third. Russell could not get to the ball in time. And the Braves had two on with no outs for A.J. Pierzynski.
Anthony Rizzo made another sensational defensive play. Rizzo grabbed the grounder off the bat of Pierzynski and started a 3-6-1 double play. Maybin advanced to third but Arrieta caught Garcia looking to end the inning. Arrieta made 66 pitches, 46 for strikes, in four innings.
Addison Russell made it 5-0 Cubs with two outs in the fourth. Russell hit his eighth longball of the season off Foltynewicz.
After four innings, the Cubs led 5-0.
The fifth inning cost Arrieta a chance of pitching deeper in the game than he did. Peterson led off with a single to right past a diving Coghlan. Peterson swiped second on the first pitch to Simmons. Arrieta induced a grounder to third off the bat of Simmons for the first out. Peterson advanced to third on a wild pitch with Bourn at the plate.
Jake Arrieta did not get the call on a 2-2 pitch to Michael Bourn and ended up walking him. Arrieta also did not get a third strike call on Foltynewicz but he finally struck him out swinging for the second out. With runners on second and third with two down, Nick Markakis grounded out to Russell at short to end the inning. It took Arrieta 94 pitches, 65 for strikes, to get through five innings.
The Cubs added jug runs in the fifth. Kyle Schwarber led off with a walk. Chris Coghlan pulled a 1-0 pitch from Foltynewicz into the right field corner. Schwarber scored all the way from first on Coghlan’s second triple in as many games … 6-0 Cubs. Rizzo struck out swinging and Bryant was called out on strikes (replays showed Doug Eddings’ bad night behind the plate continued against Bryant).
Miguel Montero picked up Rizzo and Bryant with a double off the ivy in center. Montero just missed a home run. Coghlan scored, 7-0 Cubs. Carlos Tosca went to his pen and replaced Mike Foltynewicz with Andrew McKirahan. The Braves tried to get Jorge Soler to chase. He did not. After missing with two straight out of the zone, the Braves intentionally walked Soler. Arrieta struck out swinging to end the inning.
The Cubs had a 7-0 lead after five innings.
The Braves broke up the shutout in the eighth inning against Travis Wood and Justin Grimm.
Travis Wood stayed in for the eighth inning after retiring three of the four batters he faced in the seventh. Nick Markakis singled to right. Wood struck out Maybin swinging. Freddie Freeman singled to right and Wood walked A.J. Pierzynski. With the bags loaded and one out, Maddon went to the pen for Justin Grimm.
Adonis Garcia lifted a 1-2 pitch from Grimm to right. Soler caught the ball, Markakis tagged and scored, 7-1 Cubs. Jace Peterson flied out to Schwarber in deep left to end the inning.
The Cubs went down in order against David Aardsma in the eighth. And the game went to the ninth with the Cubs leading 7-1.
Tommy Hunter gave up a leadoff single to Andrelton Simmons but that was all. Simmons was erased on a 4-6 force out. With Michael Bourn at first Hunter struck out pinch-hitter Nick Swisher swinging and Eury Perez swinging to end the game.
Kyle Hendricks is scheduled to face Shelby Miller on Friday afternoon (3:05pm CDT).