CHICAGO _ When the Cubs caught the Brewers for first place in the National League Central last summer, Jake Arrieta boldly said they were there to stay for the rest of the year.
The Cubs never fell out of first, making him prescient.
Arrieta (9-6, 3.32 ERA) is now leading the upstart Phillies in the NL East, and starter Aaron Nola told me Arrieta's attitude is rubbing off on his new teammates.
"He's a veteran (and) has been in our shoes," Nola said. "His presence in the clubhouse and on the field really helps us. He's a hard worker too, and as a young staff and a young team I think we needed somebody like that.
"He has had his ups and downs, and when he came to Chicago he really turned things around and became a winner. ... The guy knows how to win. He knows what he's doing out there, and his presence on the mound, not really showing too much emotion, we take a lot away from that."
Arrieta was 4-0 in July as the Phillies won all six of his starts. The Jake effect seems to be working once again.
While they are in good position for the stretch run, Arrieta isn't making any bold predictions this time but is warning the players to stay hungry.
"The teams around us aren't going to slow down," he said. "We know what Atlanta is doing, and Washington has the ability to play well for a long stretch and put themselves back in contention, so we have to continue to increase our skill sets consistently. ... We have to do everything consistently from this point if we want to get to where we're confident we can go."
