Levine: Jake Arrieta's Dominance Shows No Sign Of Ending
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Sweeping the team that's their biggest challenge for the second wild-card position was impressive enough this weekend for the Chicago Cubs. The continued excellence of starter Jake Arrieta is just icing on the cake for the upstart Cubs.
Arrieta won his 13th game of the season while shutting out San Francisco during his 7 2/3 innings on the mound Sunday in a 2-0 victory for Chicago. The 29-year-old Arrieta hasn't only been the most dominant Cubs pitcher; he will also be in the conversation for NL Cy Young consideration if he continues his hot run.
Arrieta has registered 10 straight quality starts, going 7-1 with a minuscule 1.23 ERA. He has 19 quality starts this season, the second-most in baseball.
While Arreta's game was dominant, the outcome could be better defined as a team win. The Cubs have won 10 of their last 11 games. Most importantly, they have moved 3.5 games ahead of the Giants for sole possession of the second NL wild-card position.
The North Siders are three games behind the Pirates for the first wild-card berth, pending the outcome of Pittsburgh's Sunday night game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With their dominance against the Giants, the Cubs swept a defending world champion in a four-game series for the first time in 100 years (they beat the Boston Braves in four consecutive games at Fenway Park in 1915). Chicago has swept three four-games series in this improbable season it has put together.
Arrieta has recorded career numbers in wins and is one inning away from passing his most innings-pitched plateau of 156 2/3. The way he prepares and now believes in himself has been a remarkable turnaround since joining the Cubs in July 2013.
"What I did before in my career you can pretty much throw out of the window," Arrieta said. "That to me is kind of out of sight and out of mind. I have used things over the past couple of years to help me move forward. I continue to try to build. There is always room for improvement."
