CHICAGO -- Sorry Jake Arrieta, we've seen you do this act before. Maybe not as much this season but you had a chock-full of these outings in 2014. We'll get back to your eight-inning, three-hit performance in the Chicago Cubs' 6-1 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday night in a moment. First, we have a question.
Is there anything Kris Bryant can't do?
The Cubs rookie had a signature game in nearly single-handily beating the Mets. He did it with his glove, his bat and, yes, once again with his feet.
"I think I'm kind of fast," Bryant said afterward. "It's always fun to get an infield single on a ball you don't normally get an infield single on. I'm trying to be the complete player. I think I've improved a lot defensively. I'm working on that every day. I'm pleased with the all-around game right now and I think I'm going to get better."
He's pretty good right now. For the second time in a week Bryant beat out a routine ground ball for a base hit. And for the second time it arguably made the difference in the game. This time it was a bit more subtle but just as effective. Here was the scenario:
In a scoreless game with two outs and no one on base in the third inning, Bryant hit a routine grounder to third baseman Daniel Murphy. Murphy took his time throwing over to first base, allowing Bryant to beat it out. Starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard walked the next two batters, adding 18 pitches to his total. It came back to bite him as he clearly tired in the sixth inning when the Cubs chased him from the game with four runs, three charged to Syndergaard.
"I didn't make the play," Murphy said. "It cost Noah some pitches, unfortunately. He could have gotten way deeper in the game. I was pretty frustrated about it."
Cubs manager Joe Maddon's take: "He's a baseball player, man.
"He's a guy that plays the whole game and understands the concepts of offense and defense, and offense includes base running. Why is it so difficult to respect 90 feet? I don't understand that, I don't get it. That sub-group out there that doesn't believe in that stuff, I don't understand that."
Bryant believes in it. We've seen that already. The infield hit was just the beginning of his big night.
"Any ground ball I hit I'm going to run as hard as I can," he said.
Two innings later Bryant hit his first triple, hammering the ball to right field and then flying around the bases. This is no normal slugger. He can move.
"That's the swing that I want," he said. "I haven't been able to do that a lot up here. I was pretty pleased with that one."
A walk during the sixth inning rally made it three times on base. The icing on the cake was a mammoth home run out to left field in the eighth inning, his second in as many nights.
"He's got huge power, I can tell you that," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "That was pretty obvious, I thought. That's why I can really scout. He's got a good swing. He's got a real good swing. We've got to go out and locate it, because as this guy grows into himself and starts to know what he's got to do up here, he's going to be a real, real good hitter. You know, he's got some feet, too. Watching him in the field defensively, he's got some range. He's legit."
Collins said all of that before Tuesday's game. What he saw for the first time Cubs fans are starting to get used to. Bryant also flashed his leather on Murphy making a great play and throw to rob him of a hit in the seventh. He did it all.
"We knew it was just a matter of time before he got hot," Arrieta said. "He's extremely polished for his age. He's just a special talent."
OK Jake, we can give you your due now. Arrieta looked every bit as dominant as his abilities suggest he can be. He froze hitters with a devastating curveball while throwing a season-high 116 pitches. His last one nearly buckled the knees of Johnny Monell. Unfortunately, it came just before Bryant's home run so it might get lost in the shuffle. But Bryant's near-cycle won't be forgotten soon.
"I knew I wasn't getting that," Bryant said. "Hopefully one time in my career I'll get that. The triple is the hardest part and I got that."
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