Cubs Fall To Dodgers 5-0 At Home In First Jake Arrieta Start Loss Since July 2015

The Los Angeles Dodgers rallied in the eighth inning to defeat the Chicago Cubs 5-0 at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night, thus marking the first time the Cubs lost a game that Jake Arrieta started since July 2015.

Cubs Fall To Dodgers 5-0 At Home In First Jake Arrieta Start Loss Since July 2015

The Cubs snapped a streak of 23 straight games the Cubs won when Arrieta started, dating to a July 25, 2015 game at Wrigley in which a no-hitter from Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels bested the right-hander.

Arrieta’s winning streak with the Cubs equaled the best run in Major League Baseball since 1913, set by the Atlanta Braves’ Kris Medlen from 2010-2012.

Dodgers left-hander Scott Kazmir matched zeroes with Arrieta, pitching six scoreless innings and giving up just one hit and one walk, both to Dexter Fowler. Los Angeles relievers Joe Blanton and Adam Liberatore combined to add three hitless frames.

“You play this game long enough and you’re going to lose a game here and there,” said Arrieta, who won the National League Cy Young Award in 2015. “It was a good streak and we’ll get started on something else.”

The 30-year-old right-hander, who pitched seven shutout innings on Tuesday, retains his streak of 20 consecutive games without a loss; the major league record is 24, set by the New York Giants’ Carl Hubbell from 1936-37.

“It takes a no-hitter and a one-hitter to beat Jake over the course of time,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. “It’s unfortunate.”

Arrieta remains 20-0 with a 0.94 ERA since August 1, 2015.

Adrian Gonzalez’s RBI single off left-hander Clayton Richard drove home the go-ahead run for the Angels. Corey Seager’s three-run homer in the ninth put Los Angeles well ahead.

“Jake is obviously one of the best pitchers in baseball and for Kaz to rise to the occasion and be the veteran that he is and top-of-the-rotation guy and he gave us a huge outing,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of both Arrieta and Kazmir. “He matched Jake pitch for pitch and we just followed his lead.”

Arrieta found himself in trouble in his final inning when he walked the bases loaded before striking out pinch-hitter Justin Turner for the third out. He gave up two hits and four walks while striking out eight in seven innings. He threw 107 pitches.

The Cubs (35-15), who are first in the NL Central, will host the Dodgers (28-25, 2nd in NL West) again on Wednesday night.

PHOTO: CHICAGO, IL – MAY 31: Jake Arrieta #49 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning on May 31, 2016 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena