A Tip of the Recap – 4/21 (Cubs 16, Reds 0)
Cubs Record: 12-4 (1st place in NL Central)
W: Jake Arrieta (4-0)
L: Brandon Finnegan (1-1)
MVP: Jake Arrieta
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So…still the David Ross game? Just kidding. What a performance from Jake Arrieta as he threw his 2nd career no-hitter (both coming in his last 11 regular season starts). He wasn’t terribly sharp or efficient, but he obviously can still get the job done even when he isn’t completely on, which is terrifying. He finished with 119 pitches and walked 4 with 6 K’s, improving to 4-0 on the year with a 0.87 ERA on the year.
The offense also did some work tonight too, by which I mean 16 runs on 18 hits (5 HR’s) with every starter getting a hit except for poor Addison Russell, who finished 0-for-6 with several hard-hit balls that went right into Reds’ gloves.
The Good
Like I said, the story of the game was Jake Arrieta’s no-no, but the offense was absolutely dominant. Six different Cubs drove in runs tonight, with Kris Bryant going 4-for-6 with 2 HR’s, 6 RBI and 4 runs scored. He picked up his 3rd career grand slam and is up to .273 on the year with 4 HR’s and 13 RBI. His solo HR came off the bat at 111 MPH and went 420 feet into the upper deck of the LF bleachers, while his grand slam just made it out to straight-away CF.
Check out some of these other lines:
Anthony Rizzo: only 1 hit, but it was a laser to right-center for his 5th HR (a 3-run shot) to give him 16 RBI on the year.
Jason Heyward: 2-for-4 with 2 hard hit singles and 2 walks.
Dexter Fowler: 2-for-5 with his 6th double, a walk, RBI and 3 runs scored (OBP is over .520)
Ben Zobrist: 3-for-5 with his 1st Cubs HR (an oppo-shot to right-center) and a 2-run double in the 8th to really put things away (made it 16-0).
David Ross: 2-for-4 with an infield single, his 1st HR and 3 runs scored. He went 1st to 3rd twice and even contributed with a pick-off of a runner on 1st base.
Jake Arrieta: 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored to contribute at the dish.
Matt Szczur: RBI single in his only AB after coming in for Jorge Soler, who went 1-for-5 with a laser double off the LF wall.
The Bad
The BABIP gods were all over Addison Russell today as he hit at least four solid line drives right at Reds defenders. He will get his eventually, but a little interesting tidbit here is that the last time Arrieta threw a no-hitter, Russell was the only hitless starter that night too.
The Ugly
I haven’t heard it yet, but I’m sure the commentary from the Reds’ broadcast is must-hear audio. I still remember a game a few years ago (back when Adam Dunn was still a Red), where Dunn hit a HR and the fans reacted poorly and threw things on the field. Marty Brennaman was relentless in his ripping of the Cubs and their fans. That has stuck with me all of these years and I kind of relish them getting beat. Maybe the ugly is my inability to let go of that moment, but I’m okay with that!
Coming Attractions
Game 2 will be tomorrow night at 6:10 PM (CST) and will feature Jon Lester (1-1, 2.21) going against Jon Moscott (0-0, 4.76) for the Reds. Lester was a tough-luck loser against the Rockies last week, taking a 2-0 loss while he went 7.1 innings with 10 K’s. Hopefully the Cubs saved some runs for tomorrow’s game.
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