Then Arrieta (12-4, 2.68 ERA) gave up six runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings, including two home runs in the second inning. Two things became emphatically clear: Arrieta’s slider is gone, and the Cubs are dead-tired.
“The whole staff feels like [we need to pick it up},” Arrieta told reporters after the game. “We’ve been in a lull the past couple weeks.”
In a report by ESPN, Arrieta is generating less spin on his slider, causing him to have lower swing and miss rate, chase rate, and movement. In 2015, batters hit .