CUBS 4, BREWERS 0
CHICAGO — Jake Arrieta said he didn’t feel sharp and that he was a little bit off Tuesday night.
The NLC Cy Young Award candidate still tossed a three-hitter.
Arrieta became the first pitcher in the major leagues to reach 20 victories, Kris Bryant set the Cubs rookie record for home runs and Chicago inched closer to a playoff berth with a 4-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Looking loose after Manager Joe Maddon entertained the team with a petting zoo in the outfield at Wrigley Field before the game, Arrieta (20-6) struck out 11 for Chicago, whose magic number for making its first postseason in seven years dropped to three.
The right-hander retired 14 in a row in one stretch in becoming the first Cubs pitcher to win 20 games since Jon Lieber in 2001.
“I’ve alluded to it before but it just means that I’m putting my team in positions to win ballgames,” Arrieta said. “At the end of the day that’s our goal, is to try and pile on as many as we can especially with where we’re at in the season.”
Bryant, whose April 17 debut was one of the most anticipated in years, hit a two-run home run in the third off Tyler Cravy (0-8) to give Chicago a 2-0 lead. It was Bryant’s 26th longball, besting Billy Williams’ mark in 1961. Bryant added a run-scoring double in the eighth.
He also relished a curtain-call after his third-inning drive.
“That was a special moment for me to get up on the steps and get that recognition,” Bryant said. “It was something I’ll never forget.”
Kyle Schwarber was credited with an RBI double in the fifth when shortstop Jean Segura couldn’t catch his high popup to short right field, allowing Dexter Fowler to score.
But Tuesday belonged to Arrieta, who added another accomplishment to a fine season that included a no-hitter Aug. 30 at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Jake is good,” Maddon deadpanned as he began his postgame news conference. “That was outstanding once again.”
By beating Milwaukee, Arrieta became the first Chicago pitcher since Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins in 1971 to win at least 20 games and strike out at least 200 in a season. He also lowered his ERA to 1.88, giving him a chance to become the Cubs’ first qualifying starter with a sub-2.00 ERA since Grover Cleveland Alexander had a 1.91 mark in 1920.
“He’s got four good pitches.” Brewers Manager Craig Counsell said of Arrieta. “How many guys have four good pitches?”
Arrieta also lowered his ERA to 0.86 since the All-Star break, which would be a major league record, and he continued perhaps his best stretch of the season.
CARDINALS 3, REDS 1 John Lackey pitched seven strong innings, rookie Tommy Pham continued his productive hitting and host St. Louis beat Cincinnati. Lackey (13-9) allowed only a first-inning home run by Jay Bruce during his 16th quality start in 16 outings at Busch Stadium.
BRAVES 6, METS 2 Rookie right-hander Matt Wisler stopped his nine-start winless drought and visiting Atlanta stalled New York’s push toward the NL East title. David Wright homered as the Mets lost for the fifth time in seven games.
PHILLIES 6, MARLINS 2 Cody Asche hit two home runs to help Aaron Harang get his first victory in over a month as Philadelphia beat host Miami. Harang (6-15) pitched 7 innings, allowing 2 runs and 7 hits. Darin Ruf homered and Freddy Galvis had three hits and drove in two runs for the Phillies.
PIRATES 6, ROCKIES 3 Starling Marte drove in two runs and visiting Pittsburgh closed in on its third consecutive playoff berth by beating Colorado. The Pirates reduced their magic number to one for securing at least an NL wild card.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
MARINERS 11, ROYALS 2 Robinson Cano homered twice and drove in four runs and Hisashi Iwakuma struck out a season-high 10 as visiting Seattle romped past slumping Kansas City. The AL Central-leading Royals have dropped 12 of 17.
RAYS 5, RED SOX 2 Mikie Mahtook hit a two-run homer and Matt Moore recovered from a difficult start to strike out seven as Tampa Bay beat host Boston. Logan Forsythe led off the fifth with a double for Tampa Bay’s first hit and he scored on a sacrifice fly.
TIGERS 2, WHITE SOX 1 (10) Rajai Davis’ two-out triple in the 10th gave Detroit a victory over visiting Chicago, one inning after the Tigers lost a combined no-hitter. Anthony Gose drew a two-out walk from Zach Duke (3-6) in the 10th.
TWINS 3, INDIANS 1 Ervin Santana pitched strong into the eighth inning, Aaron Hicks and Brian Dozier each had two hits and an RBI from the top two spots in host Minnesota’s lineup, and the Twins beat Cleveland to start a critical series for the American League wild card chasers.
ANGELS 4, ASTROS 3 Mike Trout and Albert Pujols hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning and visiting Los Angeles held on for an important victory over Houston. The victory moves the Angels 2 1/2 games behind Houston for the second American League wild-card spot.
YANKEES 6, BLUE JAYS 4 (10) Greg Bird hit a three-run home run in the 10th inning and New York beat host Toronto to move closer in the AL East race. Bird connected off reliever Mark Lowe (1-3) for the rookie’s 10th home run in 34 games and third in the past three nights.
INTERLEAGUE
ORIOLES 4, NATIONALS 1 Ubaldo Jimenez pitched six gritty innings to earn his 100th career victory and added an RBI single as Baltimore beat host Washington in the rain-delayed opener of a series between teams fighting to remain in the playoff race.