PHILADELPHIA _ At the end of spring training, Phillies officials cited several reasons to be bullish about Jake Arrieta.
For one thing, they noted that Arrieta was healthy again after pitching through knee pain for part of last season and having minor surgery in January. For another, they pointed to Arrieta's arm angle, which was back to the high three-quarters slot that he used during his peak with the Cubs.
As always, though, the best proof is in the performance. And Arrieta notched his fourth strong start in a row Wednesday, holding down the Mets for eight innings in a 3-2 win in the rubber match of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.
Scott Kingery continued his scorching start at the plate with another home run. Cesar Hernandez also went deep for the Phillies, who got Rhys Hoskins back in the lineup after a one-game absence because of a sprained left ankle but were without Jean Segura because of a left hamstring strain.
But this was all about Arrieta. Phillies starters had thrown a total of 19 innings in the previous four games, and with a four-game series beginning Thursday night in the thin air at Coors Field in Colorado, the bullpen badly needed a breather in the matinee series finale against the Mets.
Along came Arrieta, who got through eight innings in 101 pitches and came back out for the top of the ninth. He might have completed the game, too, if Mets rookie Pete Alonso hadn't reached base on a line drive back to the mound. At that point, with Arrieta having thrown 105 pitches and lefty-swinging Robinson Cano and Michael Conforto due to bat, manager Gabe Kapler called on lefty Adam Morgan, who hit Cano in the back with a pitch and got Conforto to fly out.
On came Hector Neris to strike out J.D. Davis and give up a run on a single by Amed Rosario. After hitting Wilson Ramos with a pitch to load the bases, Neris ran the count full before striking out Keon Broxton to earn a white-knuckle save.
It capped a vintage Arrieta start. Using his signature sinker, he pitched to contact and recorded quick outs. He didn't allow a runner to reach third base until Conforto blasted a leadoff homer in the seventh inning, by which time the Phillies already had a three-run lead.
Phillies starters have completed seven innings in only four of the season's first 17 games. Arrieta has done it three times. In four starts, he has a 2.25 ERA, which ranks 14th among the 84 pitchers who have thrown at least 17 innings.
Indeed, Arrieta has been the steady hand in a rotation that is seeking consistency. Aaron Nola hasn't come close to approximating the success that made him a Cy Young Award finalist last year. Nick Pivetta was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley before Wednesday's game, signs of both the young right-hander's struggles and the contending Phillies' prioritization of results over development at the major-league level.
But with his dominance of the Mets, Arrieta won the Phillies a game on a day when the offense wasn't at its high-powered best. The only other time that has happened this season was Zach Eflin's 2-1 victory over the Twins on April 7.
That's probably why, as Arrieta walked off the mound in the ninth inning, the announced crowd of 39,861 rose to give him an ovation. Arrieta is off to the start that the Phillies envisioned when spring training ended last month. The proof is in the performance.
