Game Thirty-Five: Cubs (26-8) vs. Pirates (18-16)
- Game Time – 1:20pm CDT
- Coverage – TV: ABC-7 – Radio: WSCR 670 The Score, Cubs Radio Network, XM Radio Channels 183, 844
- Location – Wrigley Field, Chicago
Jake Arrieta (6-0, 1.13/0.87/2.80) vs. Jeff Locke (1-2, 4.68/1.68/4.69)
Jake Arrieta takes the mound this afternoon at Wrigley as the Cubs look to secure a series win over the Pirates.
The Cubs started the second round of the season series against the Pirates with a decisive win. The Cubs avoided the holes Clint Hurdle said was exposed in the Padres series. The offense must not let up this afternoon against lefty Jeff Locke in what will be a less than hitter friendly day at Wrigley Field.
Joe Maddon should run out a balanced lineup against Locke and Arrieta should benefit with the return of Miguel Montero. Right-handers are hitting .289/.389/.474/.864 against Locke this season while left-handers are batting .308/.379/.385/.764 against the southpaw.
Today all starts with Jake Arrieta …
For as good as Jake Arrieta has been, the first inning has been a struggle for him in each of his last three starts. Arrieta is running up his pitch count and it’s preventing him from pitching deeper in games. It’s easy to nitpick the small things with the way Arrieta has pitched. But it’s a trend that has shown up that would be nice to see end today against the Pirates.
Jake Arrieta is coming off his first no-decision of the season. Arrieta gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits to the Nationals in a game the Cubs eventually won 4-3 in 13 innings. Arrieta walked four batters for the third time in four starts and struck out seven in five innings.
Arrieta should benefit with Miguel Montero back behind the plate.
The Cubs are 7-0 in Arrieta’s starts this season. And Arrieta is 1-0 the last two times he’s taken the mound with a 1.50 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Arrieta is 2-0 in three starts at Wrigley with a 1.50 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. Today is the second start for Arrieta against the Pirates this season.
Arrieta completed seven shutout innings against the Pirates back on May 3. Arrieta gave up two hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Only two batters reached base after the first inning.
For his career, Jake Arrieta is 7-1 in 10 starts versus the Pirates with a 1.50 ERA and 0.80 WHIP (13 runs, 11 earned, 40 hits, 13 walks and 56 strikeouts in 66 innings).
Pirates Career Numbers against Jake Arrieta
- Andrew McCutchen: 10-for-29 with two doubles and four walks
- Gregory Polanco: 3-for-23
- Starling Marte: 4-for-21
- Francisco Cervelli: 4-for-19
- Matt Joyce: 7-for-17 with two doubles, one home run and two walks
- Josh Harrison: 1-for-13 with one double
- Jung Ho Kang: 2-for-12
- John Jaso: 1-for-8 with two walks
- Jordy Mercer: 0-for-8
- David Freese: 0-for-3
- Sean Rodriguez: 1-for-2
Jeff Locke has put together back-to-back quality starts against the Reds and Cardinals. The Pirates lost both games but Locke did his job and kept his team in the game. Locke was charged with three runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout in six innings in St. Louis. The Pirates lost the game 6-4.
Locke has not received a decision in each of his last two starts. Locke has allowed six runs on eight hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in 13 innings (4.15 ERA, 0.92 WHIP). And the lefty is 1-1 in four road starts this season with a 5.14 ERA and 1.76 WHIP.
Jeff Locke is 1-2 in nine career starts versus the Cubs with a 5.83 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. Locke was 0-1 in four starts against the Cubs last season with a 9.00 ERA and 1.94 WHIP (19 runs, 18 earned, 25 hits, 10 walks, 20 strikeouts in 18 innings). In four career starts at Wrigley, Locke is 0-1 with a 8.31 ERA and 2.08 WHIP.
Cubs Career Numbers against Jeff Locke
- Anthony Rizzo: 7-for-20 with two doubles, three home runs and three walks
- Jason Heyward: 7-for-19 with one doubles and two walks
- Dexter Fowler: 4-for-9 with two walks
- Kris Bryant: 2-for-9 with one home run and two walks
- Jorge Soler: 0-for-6 with four walks
- Addison Russell: 2-for-8 with two doubles
- Ben Zobrist: 0-for-4
- Javier Baez: 1-for-3 with one home run
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …