After Sunday's game, a 5-0 loss to the Cards, Joe Maddon came out and suggested this was Arrieta's best start of the year. He and Arrieta agreed the pitcher threw strikes and had good stuff and so on. The fact is, however, that Arrieta made two mistakes that wound up in the seats and accounted for four runs. The fact also remains that Arrieta's fastball was clocking in at 92 pr 93 mph. This is 2 mph slower than his salad days of 2015 an 2016. Actually Arrieta was lights out brilliant through 2015 and half way into 2016. Since then, he has been inconsistent and not quite right. I hope these guys are right and that he can turn it around. Otherwise, the dominant starting pitching of that championship season just isn't there across the board and the team is in trouble insofar as repeating their superior run of 2016.
After Friday's win, I thought they might be poised to take off, at least to win the series. Obviously, that did not happen. The Cubs return home Tuesday and play ten home games against mediocre teams, the Reds, the Brewers, and the struggling Giants. If we are to see even a repeat of the division championship this season, they need to get healthy, start hitting, and win seven or eight of these contests.
Just as an aside, Ian Happ's debut has been pretty impressive. They will have a hard time sending him down. Maybe also a hard time finding regular playing time once Heyward comes off the DL Still, he is possibly a better fit than Candelario, who has not hit very well and who is eternally blocked at his two positions of third and first base by Bryant and Rizzo.
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