Milwaukee Brewers: Squaring off against Jake Arrieta

In the offseason there was plenty of talk about the Milwaukee Brewers signing Jake Arrieta. Obviously, that did not happen.

Instead, Jake Arrieta signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, and he squared off against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Crew got to him for four runs over five innings as they put up a 12 spot on Philly pitching.

As a documented promoter of not signing Arriteta, I am wondering if that was the right move. After all, he is having a pretty good year.

Jake Arrieta in 2018

His ERA is below three, and he is pitching extremely well. For the money, maybe not. His WHIP is 1.18 and he is striking out batters at a career low rate. However, Arrieta is pitching a lot better than expected, by my standards at least.

Against The Milwaukee Brewers

Arrieta did not pitch poorly by any stretch of the imagination. Jesus Aguilar got to him in the first inning with a two run homer, but after that he put up zeros. If Ji-Man Choi doesn’t hit a grand slam where two of the runs get charged to Arrieta, then the former Cy Young Award winners line looks quite a bit different.

It makes not signing him look smart. The Brewers offense has been having a field day against Philadelphia, but a pitcher like Arrieta should have stopped the bleeding. He did to an extent. For the money, it works out better that he pitch for the Phillies as opposed to Milwaukee.

Who Does Arrieta Blame For The Loss?

Himself. There was news that came out that he is not living up to what he has been preaching. Arrieta called his teammates out after a loss, but then didn’t live up to his own words. That makes sense, right?

Next: Potential Deadline Deal With The White Sox?

It is a good thing he did not sign with the Milwaukee Brewers. I am sure that calling out teammates is not the best strategy for clubhouse chemistry. The Crew is doing just fine without him anyway. Arrieta is a great talent, but he just wasn’t the right fit in the organization.