The Rundown: Jake Arrieta Misses 20th W, Soler Back for Cardinals Series, Pelicans Capture Title, Quintin Berry Slips F-Bomb into CSN Broadcast
If you have heart issues or a weak stomach, Wednesday night’s game was probably not fun for you. Jake Arrieta stayed in the game for what most considered to be an inning too long, giving up the tying run in the process, and the Cubs had to go 12 innings to get the W.
It’s crazy to say that Arrieta going 8 innings and giving up only 1 run was disappointing, but it sort of felt that way. The first run scored when Arrieta lollipopped a throw over Anthony Rizzo’s head, allowing Gregory Polanco to come around. The second scored after Arrieta loaded the bases on two singles and a walk before a very strange 4-3-6-2-5 fielder’s choice double play.
Still, the play that really stood out was made by Starlin Castro. With a man on first and only 1 out in the 9th, Aramis Ramirez lined a ball back up the middle. Castro, playing second, lunged to his right to snag the ball, then flipped to Javy Baez to turn the double play and get out of the inning.
Despite not getting the win, Arrieta’s ERA now stands at a sterling 1.96, which is actually a full run higher than it’s been in the second half of the season. It wasn’t a perfect preview of October 7th, but it was nice to see the ace dealing in Pittsburgh. If I had my druthers, Maddon would have used a pinch hitter rather than having Arrieta bat with men on 2nd and 3rd with two outs in the 8th. But the Cubs won, so I guess it’s moot.
Soler nears return
Speaking of bats, the Cubs should be getting another big one back for this weekend’s series in St. Louis. Patrick Mooney reports that the Cubs plan to activate Jorge Soler when the team returns to Chicago to take on the Cardinals. This is very good news for an offense that hasn’t exactly been tearing the cover off the ball of late.
Soler has only been back in action for a few games and didn’t necessarily show out for the advanced-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans, but he’ll have plenty of time to get his feet under him again before the playoffs start. Of course, he did already complete a couple playoff series.
Pelicans win Mills Cup
After losing their playoff opener in Winston-Salem, the Pelicans rattled off 5 straight victories to capture the Mills Cup Championship. Our Todd Johnson has a great breakdown of the playoff run, so I won’t get into further detail.
I will, however, share a bit from the post-game celebration.
More from @Pelicanbaseball celebration pic.twitter.com/uQPBLfSq7I
— Max M McKinnon (@MaxFromBoston) September 17, 2015
https://twitter.com/mmckinnonTSN/status/644350650621538304
I know I’m repeating myself, but I just can’t express how happy I am for the Pelicans. I had a really great experience down there and got the chance to develop some nice friendships. The guys failed to return my congratulatory texts, but I’ll chalk that up to them being too busy setting things on fire. Surely it’s not me. Is it?
On second thought, don’t answer that.
Quintin Berry said a bad word
So, like, parental advisory and stuff here. The little kid who still occupies a good deal of my conscious thought just loves it when an expletive finds its way to a live mic during a sports broadcast. Such was the case when pinch runner Quintin Berry came in to score on a sac fly in the 12th.
Call me immature, but I get a serious case of the gigs when stuff like this happens. And perhaps the best part was that CSN didn’t even clean it up when they went to break with the replay. Good times.