After three straight outstanding seasons with the Chicago Cubs, including a Cy Young Award campaign in 2015, Jake Arrieta appeared poised for a huge contract following this season. A rough start to 2017 has hurt the right-hander’s stock, and he will try to turn things around beginning with the rubber match of Chicago's three-game road series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
Arrieta’s struggles have been emblematic of a concerning theme for the Cubs, whose starting pitchers have not maintained the level of success they enjoyed during the team's World Series championship run a year ago. The trend continued with a sub-par effort from Jon Lester in Saturday's 5-3 loss in which Chicago was short-handed, with reigning National League MVP Kris Bryant battling an illness and starters Addison Russell, Ben Zobrist, and Jon Jay nursing injuries. The Cardinals hope to continue their surge, as they have won seven of their last eight games. The back end of St. Louis’ bullpen has been outstanding, with the team going 18-0 when leading after seven innings.
TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network, WGN (Chicago), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Jake Arrieta (4-2, 5.35 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (2-3, 6.37)
After posting quality starts in his first two turns of the season, which resulted in victories, Arrieta has produced just one in his last five starts. The 31-year-old endured his worst outing of the year Tuesday at Colorado, allowing nine runs - five earned - while lasting just 3 2/3 innings. Arrieta beat the Cardinals in the second game of the season, improving to 8-2 with a 1.71 ERA in 14 career starts against them.
Wainwright has yet to record a quality start in 2017, making it out of the sixth inning just once in seven outings. The 35-year-old pitched slightly better his last time out, allowing four runs and four hits over 5 1/3 frames of a no-decision at Miami, but he continues to struggle with his command as he issued three walks. Wainwright is 13-9 with a 4.24 ERA in 41 career games (32 starts) against the Cubs.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cardinals 1B Matt Carpenter is 0-for-27 with nine strikeouts against Arrieta, his former college teammate at TCU.
2. Cubs prospect Ian Happ made his major-league debut Saturday, starting in right field and going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer while batting second.
3. St. Louis C Yadier Molina has recorded 189 career hits against the Cubs, which puts him second among active players behind former teammate Albert Pujols (196).