Chicago Cubs Recap: Jake Arrieta homers, goes distance in win

Jake Arrieta hit his first career home run and tossed his second complete game of the season, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 win in the series finale over the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field.

Arrieta (10-5, 2.66) struck out nine – including the side in both the first and ninth – limiting the White Sox to just a pair of hits in the win. His 10th win of the season marks a career-high for the right-hander, who made a convincing case for the All-Star team this year.

The White Sox dug themselves an early hole in the bottom of the first, when All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant tripled to score a run before coming around to score on an RBI single by outfielder Jorge Soler.

Arrieta took White Sox starter Jose Quintana deep in the bottom of the fifth, extending the Chicago (47-40) lead to 3-0. The left-hander pitched into the eighth, allowing three earned on eight hits, also striking out nine.

Outfielder Chris Coghlan saw his consecutive games played streak snapped in the loss, but on a day spent honoring Ernie Banks, this went overshadowed thanks to the team’s strong play.

The White Sox got their lone run in the top of the sixth on an Adam Eaton safety squeeze down the first-base line. However, Robin Ventura‘s club couldn’t figure Arrieta out all afternoon-long, as the Cubs finished the season’s first half at seven games over .500.

Dexter Fowler paced the Chicago offense, going 3-for-4 out of the lead-off spot, while Bryant, Soler and Arrieta all drove in runs.

What’s Next:

The Cubs send Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant to the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday for the All-Star Game in Cincinnati.

The team’s two sluggers will also participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday.

Next: Looking at the Cubs' options for starting pitching