Cubs release Jake Arrieta, ending their tenuous reunion

The Cubs released starting pitcher Jake Arrieta on Thursday.It’s finally over.

Jake Arrieta’s return to the Cubs was anything but a feel-good story, and after another embarrassing showing against the Brewers on Wednesday, the team placed him on unconditional release waivers, effectively ending his time in Chicago.

Arrieta was signed by the Cubs during the offseason with the hopes of reinventing the 2015 NL Cy Young winner, and with a 2.57 ERA over his first five starts in April it appeared things would end well. But that was the last of Arrieta’s success this season.

The right-hander had just one start after May 1 in which he reached the sixth inning and sported a 8.35 ERA over that span.…