CINCINNATI – Bring on Jake Arrieta.
After what he known as his greatest begin of the season Wednesday night time in Cincinnati, enigmatic Cubs starter Yu Darvish will get the most effective check but of his rediscovered command and focus in his subsequent begin Monday in opposition to the Phillies.
“He’s a legend in Chicago for sure,” Darvish mentioned of former Cubs ace Arrieta – who begins for the Phillies in opposition to Darvish and the Cubs on Monday at Wrigley Field.
“I respect that. And I’m really looking forward to facing him.”
Darvish pitched into the sixth inning with 11 strikeouts and the lead earlier than the bullpen blew it in a 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Reds Wednesday night time.
Starts like Wednesday’s have been uncommon for Darvish since he signed his $126 million free agent cope with the Cubs 15 months in the past – fueling the pro-Arrieta crowd that clamored for the Cubs to pursue the 2015 Cy Young winner and 2016 World Series hero as an alternative throughout that winter.
If Darvish has typically dissatisfied in 17 begins as a Cub these two seasons, his 11-strikeout, no-walk efficiency throughout an eventual 10-inning loss to the Reds on Wednesday delivered a tantalizing opening act for what’s positive to be Chicago’s most anticipated pitching matchup of the primary two months of the season.
Darvish didn’t get the victory after the closer-less Cubs’ bullpen blew a late two-run lead in a 6-5 loss that Yasiel Puig – dealing with a five-man infield – ended with a bases-loaded drive off the wall with one out within the 10th.
But how this loss on May 15 ended was far much less essential for the Cubs than how the person who began it for them fared – and the place he goes from right here.
Cubs supervisor Joe Maddon reiterated as lately as Tuesday that he expects the workforce to “be rewarded for the patience” with a high-priced, high-maintenance starter whose admitted overthinking has too usually muted his distinctive expertise.
“There’s going to be that moment, that epiphany Whatever you want to call it, it’s going to happen,” Maddon mentioned. “And then he’s going to take off, and then you’re going to see this incredible run he’s going to get on.”
Was this begin the one? Darvish gave up a first-inning run on a pair of hits within the first and one other on a pair of hits within the fourth. But he retired 10 of 11 in between after which the ultimate 5 batters he confronted.
Working at a extra “comfortable” slower tempo quite than push the tempo, he commanded an upper-90s fastball, bedeviled former MVP Joey Votto – together with twice putting him out wanting – and by no means appeared particularly pressured in the course of the 102-pitch outing.
On the opposite hand, all these pitches received him only one batter deep into the sixth inning due to all of the strikeouts and different deep counts.
Maddon known as him “outstanding.” Catcher Taylor Davis, his private catcher in latest weeks, mentioned Darvish is “close” to that epiphany.
“Everything is just starting to pinwheel like he’s putting everything together,” Davis mentioned.
But Darvish isn’t able to go that far.
“I hope so,” he mentioned. “But I really need it in a start at Wrigley. I always struggle in the homestands. I really need [one there] like today’s start.”
Enter Arrieta.
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Jake Arrieta
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“I need a base hit against him,” Darvish joked of the matchup. “Just one base hit.”
More significantly: “I need a quality start for sure. But I really want to see his stuff, the sinker and cutter, because he’s nasty – top five in MLB. I can study from his stuff. I’m looking forward to seeing him.”
Based on their longstanding efforts to construct Darvish’s confidence and hold him from overthinking, it might appear a pure to attempt to keep away from the Arrieta head-to-head matchup.
“I’m really not concerned about that,” Maddon mentioned. “When this guy is pitching at his best he can beat anybody. It’s his day. He will pitch.”
Darvish insists he gained’t be making an attempt to show something to followers – or…