Jake Arrieta struck out 10 batters in seven innings on Friday (Saturday AEST) and the Cubs beat the sloppy St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 for their 98th victory of the Major League Baseball season, the most since they last played in the World Series in 1945. Chicago clinched home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs.
Arrieta almost certainly won't win a second straight NL Cy Young Award. He likely won't be the No.1 or 2 post-season pitcher for the loaded Chicago Cubs, either.
But Arrieta showed on Friday he can still dominate and he figures it's because he's stopped trying so hard.
"A lot of the time more effort creates some inconsistencies in my delivery,'' Arrieta said. "Trying to do more than I have to. I had several outs today where I took my foot off the gas and I was at 60-70 per cent and got nice, easy groundballs to second base or shortstop.''
Manager Joe Maddon said Arrieta looked "familiar'' when he struck out the side on 11 pitches in the first inning, a reference to his 22-win 2015 season that included a 1.77 ERA. Arrieta said "competitiveness and stubbornness'' have been the reasons his walks, hits and runs are up from a year ago.
"We've been hyper-critical of him all year based on what he did last year,'' Maddon said. "But to his credit, I think he's handled that very well.''
With veteran Miguel Montero back catching him, Arrieta (18-7) allowed five hits and walked one. Anthony Rizzo had three hits and Ben Zobrist drove in two runs as the Cubs tied a team record with their 56th home win.
Chicago scored four runs in the first inning off Mike Leake (9-11) and dropped the Cardinals 1 1/2 games behind the Mets and a half-game behind the Giants for the two NL wild-card berths.
Pedro Strop came off the disabled list to work the eighth, and Travis Wood and Carl Edwards Jr. finished the five-hitter.
The Cardinals are hoping to return to Wrigley Field in two weeks. But that requires earning one of the two wild-card berths and then winning the single-elimination game for a spot in the division series.
The Cubs have so much depth as they seek their first World Series title since 1908 that Arrieta is likely the No.3 playoff starter behind Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks.
But Arrieta feels if he can "control his effort,'' he'll be at his best come October.
"I don't give up many hits,'' Arrieta said. "So if I can keep guys off base via the walk, I'm going to be in a pretty good spot.''
Meanwhile, in New York, Mets closer Jeurys Familia and setup man Addison Reed were out, even before the first pitch. Then starter Gabriel Ynoa got yanked after just two innings.
A day after burning through 10 pitchers in a stirring win, the New York Mets needed someone to own the mound.
Hansel Robles provided a big boost from the bullpen on Friday night, escaping a seventh-inning jam and finishing a 10-5 win over Philadelphia that kept the Mets atop the NL wild-card race.
