|
 Fortunately for the staff ace, his teammates brought their
"A-plus" defense.
Arrieta became the National League's first eight-game winner,
limiting the San Francisco Giants to four hits and one run over
seven innings in an 8-1 victory in the opener of a three-game
series.
Kris Bryant smacked a three-run home run in a five-run third inning,
and outfielders Jason Heyward and Jorge Soler combined to make three
rally-killing catches in support of Arrieta, who improved to 8-0
this season and 19-0 since June 21, 2015.
"It was a battle for me tonight," said Arrieta, who lowered his
major-league-leading ERA to 1.29. "They hit some balls hard. I had
to adjust, work with what I had. It turned out pretty good."
The win was the Cubs' 22nd in a row in a game started by Arrieta,
matching the second-longest streak in the history of baseball. Only
the Atlanta Braves' 23 straight wins in games started by Kris Medlen
from 2010-12 has extended longer.
 It might have been a seven-run win, but Cubs manager Joe Maddon
walked away believing it could have been a loss if not for what
happened on Arrieta's third pitch of the game.
That's when Heyward, the right fielder, raced to the 421-foot marker
in right-center to make a diving catch on blast by Denard Span,
landing hard on his right side on the dirt warning track before
sliding head-first into the wall.
"Might have been the best (I've ever seen)," Maddon said. "That
might have been the game right there, crazy as it sounds. If that
ball falls, it might have been an inside-the park home run and it
gets them started."
After several minutes on the ground, Heyward was able to walk off
the field with just minor assistance, and went immediately to the
visitors' clubhouse. The Cubs were calling it a right abdominal
injury, and he'll have an MRI on Saturday.
"I'm at a loss for words," Arrieta claimed. "Amazing catch. That's
what he's capable of in the outfield. It's unfortunate it had to
happen like that, I but I think he's going to be fine."
Arrieta, who allowed four of the Giants' first 12 batters to reach
base, also benefitted from Soler's play in left field.
The blossoming prospect raced back to the fence to rob Giants
catcher Buster Posey in the third inning with two aboard and third
baseman Conor Gillaspie with one on in the seventh.
Soler also caught his manager's eye with nifty baserunning and two
hits, including a solo home run, his third of the season.
"It's nice to see Jorge play a complete game. That's what we're
looking for," Maddon said. "I'm not even talking about his home run.
That's how excited I am. That's the kind of effort that can make him
a superstar."
Soler's homer came after a solo shot by Ben Zobrist, his sixth, in
the eighth inning for the Cubs, who have not lost consecutive road
games this season. Chicago was coming off a 5-3 loss at Milwaukee on
Sunday.
Zobrist's homer off the fourth Giants pitcher, right-hander George
Kontos, was a "Splash Hit" into the San Francisco Bay beyond the
right-field wall, the 38th by a San Francisco opponent in the
16-year history of AT&T Park. Only one previous Cub -- Corey
Patterson on Aug. 7, 2004 -- had recorded a "Splash Hit."
The back-to-back homers gave the Cubs a 7-1 lead, after which
Arrieta was given the rest of the night off. He'd thrown 111
pitches, his second-most this season.
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The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner walked two and struck out
eight in extending his streak of allowing three or fewer runs to 29
consecutive starts.
"His stuff is so good," Maddon said, "even when his stuff is off, he
can still be very productive."
Right-hander Jake Peavy, the 2007 Cy Young winner, took the loss for
the Giants and saw his ERA, worst in the NL, balloon to 8.21.
"It's something you embrace," Peavy said of the opportunity to duel
with Arrieta. "In this game, you revel at the chance to face the
game's best. And when you don't do what you're capable of doing,
it's upsetting."
Bryant had two hits and four RBIs for the Cubs (29-11), who improved
upon baseball's best record.
Angel Pagan singled twice, stole two bases and scored the only run
for Giants (25-19), who were coming off a 7-0 trip to Arizona and
San Diego.
San Francisco had won eight in a row and had allowed a total of just
four runs in its previous four games.
Peavy (1-5) didn't get out of the second inning. He left two outs
into the Cubs' uprising, having surrendered five runs on seven hits
and two walks. He did not record a strikeout for just the fifth time
in his career.
"He had two outs, two strikes and it's a 2-0 ballgame. That's a game
at that point," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of the fateful third
inning. "But you get down five to Arrieta and it's an uphill climb."
NOTES: The back-to-back homers were a first for the Cubs this
season. ... Giants RHP Jake Peavy's 1 2/3-inning outing was the
second-shortest of his career. ... While Peavy was winning the
National League Cy Young Award for the San Diego Padres in 2007, RHP
Jake Arrieta, a Baltimore Orioles draft choice, was pitching for the
Phoenix Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League, striking out 16 in
16 scoreless innings over 14 appearances. ... The Cubs' streak of 22
straight wins in Arrieta starts is tied the New York Yankees (LHP
Whitey Ford) and New York Giants (RHP Carl Hubbell) for the
second-longest streak for a single pitcher of all-time. ... Giants
manager Bruce Bochy said RHP Sergio Romo (strained right flexor)
would be sent to Triple-A Sacramento to begin an injury-rehab stint
early next week. The hope is to have Romo back with the parent club
in early June.
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