Cubs’ Jake Arrieta throws 2nd career no-hitter

CINCINNATI – Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs pitched his second no-hitter in a span of 11 regular-season starts, shutting down the Cincinnati Reds in a 16-0 rout Thursday night.

The reigning National League Cy Young winner threw the first no-hitter of the Major League Baseball season.

Arrieta (4-0) struck out six, walked four and allowed only six balls hit out of the infield. He threw 119 pitches, retiring Eugenio Suarez on a routine fly to right field to end it.

“It feels different the second time,” said Arrieta, who did his best pitching in the last few innings with the no-hitter in reach. “I was a little more relaxed as the game progressed.”

Arrieta threw his first career no-hitter last Aug. 30 at Dodger Stadium, beating Los Angeles 2-0. That gem came as Arrieta put together one of the best pitching stretches in club history.

“What can I say?” manager Joe Maddon said. “Man, it was spectacular.”

The Reds hadn’t been held hitless in a regular-season game since 1971, when Rick Wise did it for Philadelphia at Riverfront Stadium. In the 2010 N.L. playoffs, Roy Halladay of the Phillies pitched a no-hitter against Cincinnati.

Arrieta is among several pitchers in the last decade to pitch two no-hitters. The 30-year-old righty is on the list with Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Tim Lincecum and Homer Bailey, who threw the only other no-hitter at Great American Ball Park on July 2, 2013 against the Giants.

“I feel like I didn’t do a whole lot,” said David Ross, who caught his first no-hitter. “That animal was in control the whole time.”

At 39, Ross has already announced this will be his final season.

Arrieta is the first Cubs pitcher to win his first four starts in a season since Greg Maddux went 5-0 in 2006. Ken Holtzman is the only other Cubs pitcher to throw more than one no-hitter in the modern era, doing it in 1969 and 1971.

Kris Bryant homered twice, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs. Arrieta contributed a pair of singles and a walk as the Cubs pulled away.

The 16-run margin approached the most-lopsided victory in major league history. In 1884, Pud Galvin and Buffalo beat the Detroit Wolverines 18-0 in the National League, STATS said.

By Arrieta’s standards, it was a bit of a struggle. He walked three batters – he’d allowed only two walks in his first three starts combined – and needed 85 pitches to get through six innings.

“It felt sloppy from the get-go,” Arrieta said. “I was a little off on my command, but I was able to keep them off balance.”

After that, he dug in and made quick work of the Reds’ lineup.

The thousands of Cubs fans in the crowd of 16,497 were on their feet cheering as Arrieta walked Scott Schebler to open the ninth, got pinch-hitter Tucker Barnhart on a popup, Zack Cozart on a fly to center, and Suarez on a routine flyout.

Arrieta and Ross embraced halfway between home plate and the mound as the rest of the Cubs circled around him.

In September 2014, Arrieta lost a no-hit bid against the Reds on Brandon Phillips’ one-out double in the eighth at Wrigley Field.

This time, the offense made the outcome a moot point while extending the Cubs’ best start since 1970.

Bryant hit a two-run shot in the first off Brandon Finnegan (1-1), and his third career grand slam in the seventh off Drew Hayes made it 13-0. Ben Zobrist and David Ross added solo shots, and Anthony Rizzo had a three-run homer.

As the Cubs made it a romp, there was only one question left: How far could Arrieta go?

He gave himself a chance by getting through the seventh and eighth innings on only 18 pitches, bearing down against an overmatched lineup.

The Cubs are off to their best start since they also went 12-4 in 1970, per STATS research.

Finnegan started at Wrigley Field on April 11 and didn’t allow a hit until Ross singled with two outs in the seventh. They were ready for the left-hander this time. Dexter Fowler doubled off the wall in center on Finnegan’s first pitch of the game, and Bryant’s homer made it 2-0.

Zobrist homered in the second inning as the Cubs made it 4-0. They’re unbeaten this season when scoring at least four times, going 11-0.