Jake Arrieta is proving to be a pesky opponent for the Reds.
Arrieta took a no-hitter deep into the game for the second time in three career starts against the Reds — all this year — this time coming five outs short. He finished Tuesday night’s 7-0 win with a one-hitter in his first career shutout in front of 33,812 at Wrigley Field.
Brandon Phillips lined a double to deep left-center field that narrowly landed past a diving Matt Szczur. The drop prevented the Reds from going hitless for the first time since Game 1 of the 2010 National League Division Series by the Phillies’ Roy Halladay.
Phillips’ two-bagger was the only hit Arrieta allowed against 28 batters faced. He walked Billy Hamilton in the fourth, and struck out a career-high 13.
The 28-year-old righty fanned batters with five different pitches — a two-seam fastball, changeup, sinker, slider and 11-5 curveball that he’s steadily polished throughout the year. Four of his pitches Tuesday were used for multiple strikeouts, including four with the curve.
“There were some real, borderline bottom-of-the-zone pitches that he was able to nail with some consistency,” Reds manager Bryan Price said of Arrieta, who picked up his 16th quality start in 21 tries. “He had the front door and back door cutter going; made some very good pitches.
“I thought he did a great job of working ahead. He used both sides of the plate. It as a very, very difficult matchup, and it would’ve been a difficult matchup for any club when he’s locked in like that.”
Reds ace Johnny Cueto didn’t have the same showing. The All-Star righty loaded the bases five times Tuesday, issuing walks in two of those junctures.
Price, who met with Cueto on the mound in the sixth inning after the righty issued the first of the two, left the righty in to get the Reds out of the jam like he did in the first inning with three runners on.
“He might’ve been the only one on our staff that I would let pitch in that situation,” Price said. “Through all the wildness of that inning, he probably would’ve been the only guy I would’ve allowed to do that. He’s earned that right. It didn’t work out obviously, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort.”
The manager admits that Cueto’s race towards 20 wins were a contributing factor. He will have to win his final two scheduled starts against the Brewers on Sept. 23 and Pirates on Sept. 28, both at home, to reach the milestone, which would be a career first. Cueto won 19 games in 2012.
“Baseball is a statistical business and I would love to see him get an opportunity to win 20 games,” Price said. “So right, typically if that’s a midseason game and he’s got 25 pitches in the inning and he walks in his second run, I’m going to go get him out of the ballgame.”
Chris Coghlan delivered Cueto’s final dagger in the sixth with a two-out, three-run double that extended the Cubs’ lead to 6-0 in the sixth. Cueto allowed five of his six runs that inning, and faced eight batters.
Cueto was charged with six total earned runs with five hits and five walks over 5 2/3 innings. In three starts against the Cubs this year, Cueto is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA, a .240 average against and 20 strikeouts.
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