Jake Arrieta 2017 Salary Drive Sploogefest

[Slaky]

Bump

I love when Jake does that shit.

[SKO]

Bump

I love when Jake does that shit.

Not to invoke the P word but Jake is the only one of the guys on this staff who I can usually tell from the first inning whether the other team even has a shot or not. The way Jake was dealing I said ballgame when Rizzo hit his homer to make it 2-0. I only ever really felt that way before about Prior.

Not a knock on Z or Lester or any of the other legitimately great pitchers they've had between now and then, but Arrieta is just in that category where if he's got everything working fuck you it's over.

[SKO]

Bump. Celebrated the two year anniversary of the day Theo pantsed the Orioles front office with 8 innnings, 7 Ks, one run.

[InternetApex]

Bump. Celebrated the two year anniversary of the day Theo pantsed the Orioles front office with 8 innnings, 7 Ks, one run.

And no walks. This dude is so dope.

[Tonker]

Bump. Celebrated the two year anniversary of the day Theo pantsed the Orioles front office with 8 innnings, 7 Ks, one run.

It took me a really long time to cotton on to what Arrieta was doing because I was fucking convinced that, for what the Cubs gave up for him and Strop, he couldn't possibly be worth anything at all.

[SKO]

Bump. Celebrated the two year anniversary of the day Theo pantsed the Orioles front office with 8 innnings, 7 Ks, one run.

And no walks. This dude is so dope.

Some days he's almost too filthy for his own good. He'll K 13 guys but throw 115 pitches through 6. Days like today when he's just toying with fuckers and getting weak grounders are the most fun

[ChuckD]

He threw a slider in the 8th that looked like a cutter and was headed straight toward the center of Montero's glove. Right as it crossed the plate it appeared to dive about a foot left and Montero barely got a fingertip on it. Absolutely filthy late break.

[InternetApex]

Bump. Celebrated the two year anniversary of the day Theo pantsed the Orioles front office with 8 innnings, 7 Ks, one run.

And no walks. This dude is so dope.

Some days he's almost too filthy for his own good. He'll K 13 guys but throw 115 pitches through 6. Days like today when he's just toying with fuckers and getting weak grounders are the most fun

I'd compare him to peak Prior in this regard but that would make me sad and I want to be happy.

[Eli]

Way ahead of things here, but if the Cubs get in the Coin Flip Game -- Arrieta has to start, right? I feel like this organization would be smart enough to put aside contract status and let the best pitcher on the team start that game.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Way ahead of things here, but if the Cubs get in the Coin Flip Game -- Arrieta has to start, right? I feel like this organization would be smart enough to put aside contract status and let the best pitcher on the team start that game.

I don't think there's any doubt Arrieta gets the nod if both progress at the rate they currently are*.

It's kind of like 1989.  Sutcliffe was the Opening Day Starter (though Maddux emerged the previous season....but then so did Arrieta last year).  By the time the playoffs rolled around, though, Maddux was clearly the ace and he got the Game 1 nod.  

*There's always the matter of Maddon not having control over it.  If the regular season comes down to the wire, they may need to just concern themselves with winning the game that's in front of them and the coin flip starter might just be whose spot is next.  Kind of like 1998, where Mark Clark--at best their 4th best starter for the playoffs--started Game 1 of the LDS simply because Tapani and Trachsel had needed to pitch their turn in order for the Cubs to stay alive, and good ole' Terry Mulholland was pitching every damn day in relief.

[ChuckD]

Way ahead of things here, but if the Cubs get in the Coin Flip Game -- Arrieta has to start, right? I feel like this organization would be smart enough to put aside contract status and let the best pitcher on the team start that game.

I don't think there's any doubt Arrieta gets the nod if both progress at the rate they currently are*.

It's kind of like 1989.  Sutcliffe was the Opening Day Starter (though Maddux emerged the previous season....but then so did Arrieta last year).  By the time the playoffs rolled around, though, Maddux was clearly the ace and he got the Game 1 nod.  

*There's always the matter of Maddon not having control over it.  If the regular season comes down to the wire, they may need to just concern themselves with winning the game that's in front of them and the coin flip starter might just be whose spot is next.  Kind of like 1998, where Mark Clark--at best their 4th best starter for the playoffs--started Game 1 of the LDS simply because Tapani and Trachsel had needed to pitch their turn in order for the Cubs to stay alive, and good ole' Terry Mulholland was pitching every damn day in relief.

[CubFaninHydePark]

Way ahead of things here, but if the Cubs get in the Coin Flip Game -- Arrieta has to start, right? I feel like this organization would be smart enough to put aside contract status and let the best pitcher on the team start that game.

I don't think there's any doubt Arrieta gets the nod if both progress at the rate they currently are*.

It's kind of like 1989.  Sutcliffe was the Opening Day Starter (though Maddux emerged the previous season....but then so did Arrieta last year).  By the time the playoffs rolled around, though, Maddux was clearly the ace and he got the Game 1 nod.  

*There's always the matter of Maddon not having control over it.  If the regular season comes down to the wire, they may need to just concern themselves with winning the game that's in front of them and the coin flip starter might just be whose spot is next.  Kind of like 1998, where Mark Clark--at best their 4th best starter for the playoffs--started Game 1 of the LDS simply because Tapani and Trachsel had needed to pitch their turn in order for the Cubs to stay alive, and good ole' Terry Mulholland was pitching every damn day in relief.

There was also the time that Edison VoLOLquez had to start the play-in/coin-flip/"playoff" game for the Pirates and gave up a grand slam to Brandon Crawford.

[Chuck to Chuck]

By the time the playoffs rolled around, though, Maddux was clearly the ace and he got the Game 1 nod.  

And he shit the bed. He was young. He was scared. Zimmer screwed up those playoffs a great deal. But not starting Sut Game 1 was a bad move.

[Eli]

Way ahead of things here, but if the Cubs get in the Coin Flip Game -- Arrieta has to start, right? I feel like this organization would be smart enough to put aside contract status and let the best pitcher on the team start that game.

I don't think there's any doubt Arrieta gets the nod if both progress at the rate they currently are*.

It's kind of like 1989.  Sutcliffe was the Opening Day Starter (though Maddux emerged the previous season....but then so did Arrieta last year).  By the time the playoffs rolled around, though, Maddux was clearly the ace and he got the Game 1 nod.  

*There's always the matter of Maddon not having control over it.  If the regular season comes down to the wire, they may need to just concern themselves with winning the game that's in front of them and the coin flip starter might just be whose spot is next.  Kind of like 1998, where Mark Clark--at best their 4th best starter for the playoffs--started Game 1 of the LDS simply because Tapani and Trachsel had needed to pitch their turn in order for the Cubs to stay alive, and good ole' Terry Mulholland was pitching every damn day in relief.

There was also the time that Edison VoLOLquez had to start the play-in/coin-flip/"playoff" game for the Pirates and gave up a grand slam to Brandon Crawford.

Yes, there was that one time Pittsburgh played a baseball game.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

By the time the playoffs rolled around, though, Maddux was clearly the ace and he got the Game 1 nod.  

And he shit the bed. He was young. He was scared. Zimmer screwed up those playoffs a great deal. But not starting Sut Game 1 was a bad move.

Hindsight. 

Sutcliffe was their third best pitcher that year and pitched Game 3 (and lost).  Maddux was a two-time All-Star by the time the '89 playoffs rolled around.  If Zimmer was to be criticized for anything it'd be for leaving Bielecki in too long in Game 5, but you're only knocking the decision to start Maddux in Game 1 with the benefit of 25 years of hindsight.  I PROMISE you not a single person questioned that decision at the time.