Chicago Cubs News: Alec Mills’ no-hitter and what it means going forward

Mills and the rest of the Cubs may be getting hot at the right time as we get set for October

On a quick side note, I thought it was bush league of Brewers manager Craig Counsell to put position player Orlando Arcia on the mound against the Cubs in the top of the ninth inning. Arcia was throwing pitches in the 40-50mph range in what had the potential to be a long and slow inning to throw off the rhythm of Mills.

Thankfully, it all worked out, and now that I got that off my chest, what does this no-hitter mean for the Cubs in the future?

For one, I think Mills has pitched his way into playoff rotation for the Cubs. After Cy Young candidate Yu Darvish (7-2, 1.77 ERA) and Kyle Hendricks (5-4 3.29), there have been some questions as to who the Cubs should go with. After a rough stretch, Jon Lester (2-2, 5.05 ERA) came back strong his last time out against the Brewers, throwing six scoreless innings. Given his postseason track record, there is no one I would rather have on the mound than big Jon.

With Tyler Chatwood and Jose Quintana both on the 10-day IL, this leaves the door open for Mills (5-3, 3.93 ERA) as the fourth starter. Mills will most likely not be throwing a no-hitter in the playoffs, but keeping the Cubs’ in the ballgame and giving their offense a fighter’s chance is all you can ask for in October.

The no-hitter and blowout win comes after the ninth-inning comeback in Saturday’s 4-2 victory over Milwaukee. That is the type of “back from the dead” win that can jumpstart a team like the Cubs and also demoralize a team like the Brewers (20-24) who are fighting for their playoff lives.

In danger of being back-to-back shutout games, all of a sudden, the first-place Cubs (28-20) are four games ahead of the Cardinals (20-20) and riding high into their final 12 games of the season. If Sunday’s performance was any indication of what is to come, there is no telling what this team is capable of.