Jake Arrieta

Arrieta has strong message for Cubs teammates

Published Jul. 2, 2015 10:13 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Cubs' pitching staff put together one of its' best series of the year as it gave up just one run in 29 innings against the Mets.

Jake Arrieta, Thursday's starter, came away from the series feeling good about his team and wanted to use the series as a point of motivation.

“We can pitch with anybody,” Arrieta told CSN Chicago. “We can swing the bats. And our defense can play lights-out. We just have to bring that night in, night out.

“The only thing we needed to do is use this series for positive reinforcement, letting everybody in here know that we can beat anybody.”

The Cubs will now look to carry that momentum into a 10-game homestand as they try to finish the first half on a high note.

It remains to be seen how the Cubs will finish the 2015 campaign, but this past series was just the latest in a long ling of positive developments.

The 2015 Cubs are not the Cubs that those in Chicago, and around baseball, have grown accustomed to over the past few seasons and Arrieta notices how much different – and better – this team is.

“It’s night and day,” Arrieta said, “both individually and as a team. We’ve grown. Our young players are taking that next step forward. We have added some young players who are extremely dynamic and can do a lot of great things on the field.

“It’s just my job to anchor things and be a guy every five days that our team knows can get us a ‘W.’ That’s what I plan to do.”

(h/t CSN Chicago)
Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

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Jake Arrieta

Chicago Cubs

Major League Baseball