April 26--The lessons Jake Arrieta learned early in his career have helped the Cubs ace recover quicker than in past seasons.
That should bode well when Arrieta takes the mound Wednesday night against the Brewers in his first start since throwing a 119-pitch no-hitter against the Reds.
Arrieta will have the perk of an extra day's rest that he didn't feel he needed.
"I don't feel like I'm putting near the stress on my body as I used to," Arrieta said after a workout Friday, the day after his no-hitter.
Arrieta said he takes two days off from throwing after starts in an effort to save "bullets."
"Veteran guys told me when I was young that when you're playing 400-foot long toss in spring training, eventually you'll have to save some of those bullets," he said. "I'm using that tactic now to prepare for moments late in the season when I really need them."
Ahead of the game: Part of Arrieta's success is his ability to throw four quality pitches -- fastball, slider, curve and changeup -- on any count for a strike.
Pitching coach Chris Bosio sees the benefits in all of his starters employing similar tactics.
"Dangle the carrot for the advance scouts in the stands," Bosio said. "We're trying to stay ahead of the curve, especially in this game of scouting and analytics."
Brotherly love: Right fielder Jason Heyward is doing his best to follow the progress of younger brother Jacob, a junior left fielder for the University of Miami.
"Baseball keeps us both busy," Heyward said. "He's a student-athlete, so he's taking care of both ends at once. We stay in touch as much as time permits. Our parents go back and forth watching us."
The younger Heyward has started all 38 games for the fourth-ranked Hurricanes. He is batting only .213 with four home runs and 22 RBIs but has a .395 on-base percentage.
