To find not just a pitcher but a team that has dominated another team like Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs have done to the Pirates would be a tedious task. So we won’t even look any further. The Pirates (18-16) were the most recent darlings of the NC Central after years of failing to finish .500. But now the Cubs (26-8) have essentially bypassed that role into an offensive juggernaut. The Cubs aren’t a darling–they’re a target.
Arrieta (6-0, 1.13) looks to keep his perfect record intact after he survived a less than Arrieta-like start in his last effort against the Washington Nationals.