The Cubs fall one win shy of breaking an MLB record with Jake Arrieta on the mound
This was the team's first regular season loss in an Arrieta start since July 25 of last year
By
Matt Snyder
•
1 min read
For the first time since Cole Hamels threw a no-hitter last July 25, the Cubs have lost a regular season game that Jake Arrieta started (LAD 5, CHC 0). The team won his last 13 starts of the 2015 season and the first 10 of the 2016 season, an astounding run of 23 starts without a loss.
To be clear, Arrieta didn't take the loss, and this team loss wasn't even remotely his fault. He worked seven scoreless innings on Tuesday night, but the bullpen allowed two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth. Arrieta had started to lose it in the seventh, walking three in a row before leaving the bases loaded. That's what led to his removal.
To be clear, Part II: The Cubs did win the first two starts Arrieta made in the playoffs last year, but lost Game 2 of the NLCS with him on the hill. MLB record-keeping uses only regular-season stats for streaks, however, so this counted as a 23-game streak in which the Cubs didn't lose.
The only other streak in MLB history that was this long was by Kris Medlen of the Braves in 2010 and 2012. The Braves won 23 of his starts in a row, too. He was hurt in 2011, though, and made some relief appearances in 2012 before going back to the rotation. That means no one in MLB history has ever had a consecutive streak like the one we just witnessed end for Arrieta and the Cubs.
In his last 13 games last season, Arrieta went 11-0 with a 0.57 ERA. So far this season he's 9-0 with a 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 75 strikeouts in 75 innings.
