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Jake Arrieta (P/Chicago Cubs) - Arrieta continues to make batters shake in their cleats. On May 3, he saw the Pirates on the road. In 7 innings, he allowed 0 runs and only 2 hits. He walked 2 and struck out 7. He also hit a single to center in the top of the 2nd to bring in Ben Zobrist. The Cubs won 7-1. On May 8, he made his mama proud and pitched 5 innings at home against the Nationals. He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits, with 4 walks and 7 strikeouts. The Cubs won 4-3, giving Arrieta an amazing 7-0 record, which is rare for any pitcher. And I'm going to leave it at that, because y'all know I believe the power of the jinx. You can see the crazy stats below:
Jake Arrieta will go over a full calendar year without a road loss. May 7 in St.Louis was last one
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) May 4, 2016
Greeny with high praise for @Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta.
— Mike & Mike (@MikeAndMike) May 4, 2016
@JArrieta34 pic.twitter.com/tQXhHuFK7H
In Jake Arrieta's last 26 starts, he has more no-hitters (2) than losses (1). pic.twitter.com/Qnf5cVrics
— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) May 8, 2016
Arrieta's ERA is currently 1.13 with a WHIP of .88. You can see more stats from his 2016 season here.
Matt Carpenter (3B/St. Louis Cardinals) - Carpenter faced the Phillies at home May 2-5. In Game 1, Carpenter struck out before being walked twice. The Cardinals still won the game 10-3. On May 3, neither team seemed to get it together. While Carpenter managed a hit, nothing came of it, and the Phillies took the game 1-0. On May 4, Carpenter was a pinch hitter and saw time at 1st base for a bit. He didn't have any luck batting in what ended up another close game between the teams. The Cardinals squeaked out a 5-4 win in the bottom of the 9th. In the final game of the series, Carpenter managed another 2 hits, including a double in the bottom of the 1st and a single to right in the bottom of the 3rd. He never made it all the way home, but the Cardinals did manage to take the series with a 4-0 win. May 6 began a series against the Pirates. Carpenter was back at the top of the lineup to start the series. He had a single in the bottom of the 1st but didn't have any luck at the plate after that. He was moved to 1st base again in the top of the 9th, in what was a quick 3 up, 3 down. The Pirates won 4-2. May 7 was a fantastic game for Carpenter. After a double to center in the bottom of the 1st, he was brought in by Grichuk for the score. And while his next 3 at bats didn't go well, he made up for it with a dramatic bottom of the 9th walk off homerun to bring in Diaz and get the 6-4 win for the Cards.
It's a walk-off! #STLCards https://t.co/QEjRjm77p7https://t.co/RkcUWsX8hS
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 7, 2016
After a night that hopefully included at least one alcoholic celebration beverage, Carpenter had another great game on May 8th. He singled to right in the bottom of the 3rd and was brought in by Moss. He walked in the 5th and 7th and was brought home in the latter by Moss. He also had a double to right in the bottom of the 9th and made it to 3rd before the third and final out of the game. The Pirates won 10-5. Carpenter's AVG is currently .256. For more stats from Carpenter's 2016 season, click here.
Andrew Cashner (P/San Diego Padres) - Cashner faced the Rockies in San Diego on May 3. He pitched 6 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits, including a homerun in the 1st. He walked 3 and struck out 6. The Padres won 6-3. On May 8, Cashner was home against the Mets. In 5 innings, he allowed 3 runs on 8 hits, including a homerun in the 3rd. He walked 1 and struck out 1. He reached on a bunt single to 3rd in the bottom of the 3rd to get on base, but the inning ended before he could get home. The Padres lost 4-3. Cashner's ERA is currently 4.93, with a WHIP of 1.50. For more of Cashner's stats, click here.
Brandon Finnegan (P/Cincinnati Reds) - Finnegan faced the Giants at home on May 2 and pitched 6 innings. He allowed 3 runs on 6 hits and struck out 4. The Giants scored 2 runs early in the top of the 2nd, and Finnegan was able to hold them at 2 through the 6th. It wasn't until he left the game that the Giants scored 6 more for a 9-6 win. On May 7, the Reds faced the Brewers in Cinncinnati. Finny pitched a full 5 innings, plus 3 batters in the 6th. He allowed 5 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits, and struck out 3. The Brewers couldn't manage a run until the 4th, when Ryan Braun hit a homerun, and a fielder's choice to third by Hernan Perez in the 5th that allowed Yadiel Rivera to make it home. After Jonathan Lucroy and Aaron Hill hit homers in the top of the 6th, Finny left the game, but he did manage a single to left in the bottom of the 2nd that brought Suarez in, so it wasn't all bad for our boy. The Brewers took the game 13-7, which clearly shows that Finnegan isn't the only Reds pitcher struggling. Here's hoping Finnegan has better luck this week. His ERA is currently 4.15, with a WHIP of 1.31. For more on Finnegan's season, you can go here.
Bryan Holaday (C/Texas Rangers) - Holaday faced Toronto on the road May 5. Toronto ran the score up early (11-1 after 3 innings), but Holaday made a great effort in the 9th and hit a single to left to bring in Moreland. Unfortunately, the Rangers didn't have enough for the comeback, and they lost 12-2. On May 7, the Rangers faced the Tigers and had a much stronger game. Holaday popped out and ground out before hitting a great triple to deep right center in the top of the 9th. Delino DeShields was next up and hit a sac fly to right to bring Holaday in and add to the Rangers lead. The Rangers won 10-5. Holaday's AVG is currently .174. You can find his stats here.