Three Strikes: Arrieta shows ace form as Cubs top Indians to even World Series
The Cubs have tied the World Series as it heads back to Chicago, as they beat the Indians 5–1 Wednesday night in Cleveland. Jake Arrieta pitched 5 2/3 innings and gave up a run, while Kyle Schwarber added two RBIs.
For the Indians, Trevor Bauer slogged through 3 ⅔ innings, giving up just two runs but throwing 87 pitches. Jason Kipnis went 1 for 4 and scored the Indians’ lone run.
Game 3 is Friday night in Chicago.
Arrieta’s Back
Jake Arrieta’s 2015 was so good and so historic, that anything in 2016 would naturally have to be a bit of a letdown. To review: Arrieta had a 1.77 ERA and a .185 batting average against a season ago. He posted just a 0.75 ERA after the All-Star break, and allowed just nine earned runs after mid-July. It ranks among the best seasons in MLB history.
This season, Arrieta was good, but nowhere near his ‘15 peak. He posted a 3.10 ERA, with a 1.084 WHIP and about a strikeout an inning. And that’s continued a bit into the playoffs. In two starts before Wednesday, he’d allowed six runs in 11 innings. He struggled against the Dodgers in the NLCS, giving up four runs in five innings. This follows a pattern from last season where, after his complete game shutout against the Pirates in the wild-card game, he went on to give up eight runs in 10 2/3 innings against the Cardinals and Mets.
Wednesday night was different. The 30-year-old pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up one run and struck out six batters. He took a no-hitter into the sixth. The last time a Cubs pitcher did that in the postseason was in 1906. Cleveland’s hitters were off-balance and they never had anything resembling a rally. It was 2015 again.
That’s good news for Chicago. Jon Lester was decent in Game 1—three runs in 5 2/3 innings—but he did seem to find his groove after a shaky start. The Cubs will have Kyle Hendricks, the regular season ERA champ, for Game 3, and John Lackey, who hasn’t had a great postseason but did have a good regular season, in Game 4.
In other words, a revitalized Arrieta gives the Cubs more depth in the rotation. The Indians have pretty much just Corey Kluber. If Arrieta, Hendricks and Lester can each go twice, the Cubs will have to like their chances. Kluber can only pitch so much.
Droning On
Trevor Bauer was fine in his first start since the bloody pinky, but struggled with control and had to be yanked in the fourth inning. Giving up two runs, with his lack of command, is a victory in itself.
But Bauer’s yet-another short start spells bad news for an already taxed bullpen. Andrew Miller threw 46 pitches in Game 1, and despite wiggling out of some jams, looked a bit less than automatic. In Game 2, Miller got a much-needed blow.
But because it has relied so much on the ‘pen—33 bullpen innings entering tonight, compared to 43.5 for the rotation—Cleveland could’ve used a longer start from Bauer. Instead, it went to Bryan Shaw for the eighth time this postseason. Jeff Manship had to be bailed out by Dan Otero, who threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. In all, the Indians used seven pitchers.
And on Friday, they’ll throw out Josh Tomlin, who hasn’t gotten past the sixth inning yet in the playoffs. Consider this: Corey Kluber has thrown 24 1/3 innings in the playoffs. The other three starters, combined, have thrown 24. The Indians formula of Kluber-Miller-Cody Allen only seems to work when Kluber is on the hill.
The wild card is Danny Salazar, who looked good in an inning of scoreless relief. It was the first time he’s pitched since Sept. 9th. Salazar was an All-Star this year, with a 3.87 ERA and 161 strikeouts. If he can give the Indians a few innings, that would be huge.
If not, it could mean trouble.
Heating Up
Ben Zobrist entered the World Series in a funk. The 35-year-old do-it-everything-player batted just 6 for 40 in the NLDS and NLCS, a paltry .150 average. It was a bit of a shock for a player who batted .303 in the postseason last year while a member of the Royals.
But Zobrist has seemingly put that behind him. He went 3 for 4 in Game 1, and followed that up by going 2 for 4 in Game 2, including a fifth-inning triple that brought home the Cubs’ third run.
Zobrist was his usual self during the regular season, batting .272/.386/.466, numbers slightly above his career averages. He did show improved patience at the plate, with 96 walks, but also increased his strikeouts from a year ago.
When he’s hot, the Cubs are a better team. Zobrist’s three postseason RBI before Game 2 came in three Cubs wins. Add that to the miracle of Kyle Schwarber, who went 2 for 4 with two RBI in only his second game since April, and all of a sudden there’s a lot less pressure on Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.
The Cubs are playing without a real right fielder—Jason Heyward has been so bad that Chicago went with Jorge Soler, who entered the game 0 for 8, and went hitless before being removed for Heyward as a pinch runner Wednesday—and they will lose Schwarber, who has not been cleared to play the field, in the starting lineup when they go back to Chicago. Zobrist, their unorthodox cleanup hitter, becomes a lot more important.
Good thing he’s on fire.