Chicago Cubs starter Jake Arrieta was looking to make it three consecutive weeks in the Major Leagues with a no-hitter. He took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning of the Cubs 2-0 win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.
His quest for a no-no was derailed with two outs in the eighth when Boston shortstop Stephen Drew connected on a 2-2 pitch that fell in for the Red Sox’s first hit of the night. For the second straight game, Arrieta had a no-hit bid through six innings, reports ESPN Stat’s & Info.
“I think most guys know it from the get-go,” Arrieta said after the game on MLB.com. “You kind of realize you haven’t pitched from the stretch. You kind of get in that groove, nobody’s on base and things just kind of start to flow. That’s kind of what was going on tonight, and I was able to do that until the eighth.”
Arrieta’s line read 7 2/3 innings, one hit, one walk and 10 strikeouts on 120 pitches. He is now 5-1 with a 1.81 ERA.
Relievers Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon came in and finished off the two-hitter.
The two Chicago runs came off the bat of right fielder Nate Schierholtz, who smacked a two-run home run into the right field stands in the top of the fourth inning.
Boston starter Jake Peavy fell to 1-7 on the year. He allowed two runs on five hits and struck out seven in six innings of work.
The two teams continue the three-game set on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.