March 10--Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta has taken an interest in the development of prospect Pierce Johnson dating back to last spring.
But after Johnson was tagged for two runs on three hits and two walks in the third inning of a 5-3 loss Wednesday to the Cleveland Indians, Arrieta said he would wait until Thursday morning to speak to Johnson.
"I don't like to approach guys too much after the game," said Arrieta, who had pitched two perfect innings prior to Johnson's performance. "Everybody processes things their own way. It may be different for me. I'm OK with someone coming up to me after the outing, but some guys are different. I'll let him process it the way he needs to and maybe he'll watch his tape (Wednesday)."
Although Johnson has allowed four runs on eight hits in his first two outings, Arrieta remains optimistic, based on what he sees from Johnson in workouts.
"I've played catch with him several times and (look at) his ability to repeat his delivery and I look at his ball flight," Arrieta said. "He's got good action on his four-seam (fastball). He's not pulling the ball or pushing it. I think transferring it from the long toss to the game mound is something he'll learn to do more effectively once he gets a little more experience. But I love what I see from him."
Johnson, 24, was 6-2 with a 2.08 ERA in 16 starts for Double-A Tennessee last season.
