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Pirates Weigh in on What Makes Jake Arrieta Such a Good Pitcher

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CHICAGO — I’ve written about Jake Arrieta a lot this weekend. I wrote how the Pirates might be able to counter him and win against the Cubs in the Wild Card game. I wrote how Gregory Polanco could be a factor in beating him. I wrote about the potential advantage the Pirates could get from seeing him three times in three weeks. And I wrote about how his success almost makes the rest of the season meaningless if they don’t win the division, since he’s going to be a tough draw in the Wild Card game.

Obviously the Pirates could still win the division, and after tonight’s outing, you can see why that’s such a preferable option. You don’t want to face Jake Arrieta in a one game playoff. But the division is still a bit of a long-shot, since they’d have to sweep the Cardinals and basically win the next six games to lock that down. And that’s why Arrieta is such a big story, because if the Pirates don’t pull off an amazing week this week, then their entire season comes down to facing the best pitcher in baseball, who is on a historic run.

Arrieta showed how dangerous he can be tonight. The best way to describe just how good he is, and what makes him so good, is to let the players and managers do the talking.

Clint Hurdle

On what was working for him tonight…

“He was hitting spots. That slider plays so well. The fastball velocity is there. And it’s real. The cut fastball and the slider. There’s one he throws faster than the other one. Just good glove-side command. Sharp, late tilt with depth.”

On the similarities from the last outing to tonight…

“He’s been efficient. We watched the tape from the last outing. He’s having a big year for them. He’s commanding, more often than not, all his pitches. We had one shot at it. After Polanco singled, and a hit by pitch, Ramirez smoked the ball, but it was right at the shortstop to make a play and get out of the inning. That was the only opportunity we had to push him.”

On what makes him so good…

“The arm angle is pretty consistent. You’re talking about also trying to [hit] 97 at times when it goes. There’s some weapons there that you’ve gotta hope he makes mistakes. I don’t think he’s made a lot of mistakes. Or when you get a point like that, if Ramirez catches that ball a quarter lower on the ball, it’s not on the ground, it’s in the air. Those are the kind of things you need to have happen to get a guy like him when he’s pitching as efficiently as he is.”

A.J. Burnett

On the home run that Arrieta hit off him…

“He can hit. I left one over, and he hit it. I mean, I got one this year, so it happens. Ball came right over the middle of the plate, and he put a good swing on it. He almost hit two of them.”

On what it’s like to face him…

“You want to go up against the best. He’s having a great year, and he’s got great stuff. And make sure he puts you on your game too. That’s why you play the game, so you have matchups like this. You can go against Jake Arrieta. And it’s been almost every time, it seems like it. He’s put together quite a year.”

On whether you keep the same approach against him as you would against anyone else…

“For the most part, you try to…treat it like anyone else, but you also know at the same time that it’s going to be a good game, it’s going to be a close game. That’s when you just try to make pitches like I mentioned. Later in the game, guys on base, you want to keep it to two runs. I don’t care who is throwing. These guys are never out of it.”

Gregory Polanco

On the approach to breaking up the no-hitter, and getting a double off him the last game…

“Don’t miss the pitch that he throws. If he throws a pitch in the zone, trying to not miss it.”

On what makes him so difficult…

“He’s got very good stuff, and he mixes it very well…Almost every at-bat I face him, he [pitches] me different.”

Aramis Ramirez

On the run he’s had in the second half…

“I played for a long time. I’ve seen guys like that. But he’s been able to do something special here. He’s one of the main reasons they are where they are as a team. He’s got 21 wins. Sub-2.00 ERA. He’s got good stuff.”

What makes Arrieta so good…

“He’s the whole package. He’s got good stuff, plus stuff on every single pitch. Good cutter, good curve. Plus fastball. 95-96. And he commands it. That’s the key. He doesn’t throw the ball over the middle. He’s in and out. He hits the corners. And that’s why he is where he is right now.”

Summary

Sweep the Cardinals. Win out. Avoid Arrieta in a one game playoff.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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