Jake Arrieta becomes MLB's first 16-game winner as Cubs top Giants
SAN FRANCISCO – For the first 5½ innings Tuesday, the entire San Francisco Giants lineup had produced as many hits against Jake Arrieta as the Chicago Cubs ace had delivered himself – one.
Arrieta's sixth-inning double was only part of a 10-hit onslaught as the Cubs brought to the West Coast the awe-inspiring show that played so well at home,Sports Illustrated saw fit to put them on this week's cover.
The Cubs promptly nixed any talk of a jinx by jumping on Giants starter Matt Cain and pounding three homers in an 8-5 victory that extended their winning streak to six and improved their August record to a major league-best 18-4.
Amid such offensive fireworks, Arrieta's hitting contribution Tuesday was not nearly as remarkable as the continuation of a spell of masterful pitching that has lowered his ERA to 2.22 and elevated him to the upper echelon among National League starters.
In becoming the majors' first 16-game winner, Arrieta threw six innings of four-hit ball and allowed just one unearned run, the product of his own error. He has 13 consecutive quality starts, the longest such stretch by a Cub since Hall of Famer Greg Maddux registered 14 in 1992, and his key numbers during that span are downright comical: a 10-1 record and a 1.17 ERA, with 89 strikeouts against 22 walks in 92 innings.
With the Cubs jumping out to a 6-0 lead after four innings, Arrieta was not about to let Chicago's fifth win over San Francisco in five tries slip out of his grasp, although the bullpen did run into some trouble in a four-run Giants eighth.
"When we get three runs in the (third) inning, I'm feeling pretty good about my chances to win that game,'' Arrieta said after lowering his August ERA to 0.54. "And then when they add on three more in the next inning, it was pretty much, 'All right, here we go. Let's get this win.'''
The absence of lineup regulars such as Jorge Soler (oblique) and Addison Russell (out for the birth of his son) did nothing to slow down the Cubs as they improved to 34-25 on the road.
The Cubs' 73rd victory of the season matched last year's total and boosted their record to 26-11 since the All-Star break, a surge fueled by an output of 55 home runs, the highest second-half figure in the NL.
No wonder manager Joe Maddon, perfectly aware the Cubs trail the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates in the rugged NL Central, said the wild-card is not the entry they intend to take into the playoffs – at least for now.
"Our goal is still to win the division, and it's still attainable; it really is,'' Maddon said. "Let's keep our focus on that first, and as you get closer and maybe it's not attainable, then you may have to go with Plan B.''
Plan B doesn't figure to be an option for the Giants, who now trail Chicago for the second wild card by 7½ games. The Giants have been staying in the NL West race by virtue of the Los Angeles Dodgers' generosity. Even with San Francisco going 2-5 in last week's journey to St. Louis and Pittsburgh, it gained a game thanks to the Dodgers' 0-5 trip.
That skid ended with Tuesday's 5-1 victory in Cincinnati, allowing L.A. to increase its cushion to 2½ games. That's not as high on the Giants' list of concerns as the left-side tightness that forced All-Star shortstop Brandon Crawford to leave the game in the eighth, or as Cain's frequent ineffectiveness, which has been interspersed by the occasional solid outing that serves as a teaser.
Cain, who missed nearly a year recovering from elbow surgery and a flexor-tendon strain, was shelled for eight hits and six runs in five innings, marking the seventh time in 10 starts he has given up at least four runs. And for all the hope and optimism generated by outings like last Wednesday's, when he held the Cardinals to two runs over six innings, Cain is still just 2-4 with a 6.15 ERA.
"Pitches got away from him and it's a tough lineup," manager Bruce Bochy said. "I think it's fair to say he's not quite where I think he's going to be."