Aug. 05--Jake Arrieta already has achieved his season-high win total, lowered his ERA to 2.50 and on pace to pitch 200 innings for the first time in his career.
But manager Joe Maddon believes Arrieta can get even better.
"And I'll say it again -- he is not there yet," Maddon said Tuesday night after Arrieta (12-6) pitched seven innings of two-hit ball to pace the Chicago Cubs to a 5-0 win at Pittsburgh and cut their deficit behind the second-place Pirates to three games in the National League Central. "He's not as good as he's going to become. When he really understands how to utilize all his weapons, it can get scary. Part of that would be to get more efficient, quicker outs. He's pitching deeper into games easily.
"It's all there. I'm not complaining. The guy has been fabulous. But there's another level of Arrieta over the next couple years. I firmly believe that."
After their sixth consecutive victory, the Cubs (58-47) are three games behind the Pirates for the first NL wild card berth. With Arrieta and Jon Lester (1.66 ERA in July) hitting their stride entering the final two months of the season, Maddon believes the Cubs have two frontline starters who can match up well against any twosome -- including Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I think they're right there," Maddon said. "I really do. Jon has been there. I think Arrieta is the guy arriving on the scene right now. We talked about that all year. He's got that kind of stuff. He had a no-hitter for a little bit. You can almost really appreciate his stuff, based on those horizontal and vertical readings on the scoreboard, how much the ball actually moves. And the velocity at the same time. He's really an interesting pitcher."
Arrieta concurred with Maddon's assessment of his growth.
"I think everyone has another gear," Arrieta said. "It's my job to find it and to stay in it. I think being consistency is something I've been able to establish as part of who I am. Now it's how can I go out there and dominate every time.
"It's easier to say than do, but with the preparation and the proper game planning, it's possible to go out there and have dominant performances almost every time. That's what I intend to do."
Maddon marveled at Arrieta's array of pitching in his "toolbox," from a 96 mph fastball with movement to his slider, cut fastball, sharp curve and changeup.
"Once he figures all these things out, he's really good and he's going to get better," Maddon said.
Thanks to Arrieta's performance, the Cubs improved to a season-high 11 games over .500 and are making strikes toward Maddon's goal of climbing past the .500 mark in increments of five games.
"It's obviously important to find your stride at this point in the season," Arrieta said. "I think each win breeds more confidence throughout the ballclub, and we need to keep it rolling for as long as we can. We know the Cardinals aren't slowing down, and (the Pirates) aren't either. So it's our job to just continue to keep the pressure on them and let them know we're coming for them."
