CHICAGO _ The problematic numbers grow larger.
Games worse than .500 for the Pirates: seven. Games back of first place: nine. Losses in their past 17 games: 12, after Tuesday's 4-1 defeat against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Chad Kuhl was sharp for five innings before unraveling in the sixth. The Pirates couldn't dent Jake Arrieta, who looks more and more like the pitcher he was in 2015 and '16. Anthony Rizzo went 3 for 4 with two doubles and Ben Zobrist homered. John Jaso homered to score the only Pirates run. He reached base in all four of his plate appearances, on a hit-by-pitch, a walk, a homer and a single.
The first half of Jake Arrieta's season did not resemble his 2016 campaign, much less his Cy Young season from the year before. After the Pirates scored four runs in 5 2/3 innings against him July 8, he had a 4.35 ERA, nearly a hit allowed per inning and more than three walks per nine innings pitched.
Since the All-Star break, Arrieta has allowed 10 earned runs in eight starts, which encompassed 50 2/3 innings. He has given up only 36 hits, pitched at least six innings in each start but one and held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in every game.
"He's had a really strong second half," manager Clint Hurdle said. "It actually may have started before that. I think with every pitcher it goes back to command, command and execution are in a good place for him again."
Arrieta (14-8) wasn't his sharpest self Tuesday _ he threw first-pitch strikes to 10 of 22 batters _ but he shut out the Pirates through six innings, allowing nothing but Josh Harrison's first-inning double and Jordy Mercer's single in the following inning. He made pitches when he had to. After Mercer's single moved Jaso into scoring position, Arrieta retired the final two batters of the second. When two walks put men on first and second with one out in the fourth, he got Mercer to ground into a double play.
Kuhl (6-10) matched him through five. He allowed four singles. Harrison's diving stop with men on second and third killed a rally in the first and Chris Stewart erased Jason Heyward's leadoff single in the fifth by catching him stealing.
Zobrist broke the scoreless tie in the sixth with a first-pitch, leadoff home run into the seats in right-center field. Kuhl would not finish the inning. He walked Kyle Schwarber. His strikeout of Kris Bryant was the only out he'd record.
Anthony Rizzo doubled and the Pirates opted to walk Tommy La Stella with a base open to load them up for Alex Avila. Avila singled to drive in a run and drive Kuhl from the game. Jason Heyward's lineout brought across another run.
Jaso hit a solo homer off Koji Uehara in the seventh inning. Rizzo would double again, in the eighth off Daniel Hudson, to drive in the Cubs' fourth run.
