Arrieta Pitches Cubs To Sixth Straight, Cardinals Edged By Reds

No one who saw Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta last year is surprised at what he has become. Maybe the bigger surprise is how his teammates have come along with him. The Cubs won their sixth straight game, 5-0, over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday as Arrieta was magnificent on the mound again.

After turning down the celebratory music next to his locker stall after the game, the confident Arrieta explained his current status in the baseball world.

“Being consistent is something I’ve been able to establish, and now it’s how can I go out there and dominate every time,” he said after pitching seven shutout innings. “It’s easier to say than do, but with the preparation and proper game-planning it’s possible to have dominant performances almost every time out. That’s what I intend to do.”

Break down that statement. No longer is Arrieta worried about just keeping his team in the game from one start to the next -- that’s so 2014. Now he’s all about domination. Ask the Pirates, who managed two hits and three walks off him -- but only one hit and one free pass came from anyone not named Andrew McCutchen. They barely touched him. Arrieta improved to 12-6 and lowered his ERA to 2.50. Eerily, his manager believes there’s even more to come from him.

“He’s not there yet,” Joe Maddon said. “When he understands how to utilize all his weapons, it can really get scary. … There’s another level of Arrieta over the next couple years. I firmly believe that.”

Reds 3, Cardinals 2

Anthony DeSclafani has figured out how to handle the Cardinals -- go right at them. The rookie handled St. Louis for the second straight start, striking out a career-high nine, and the Cincinnati Reds turned a big first inning off John Lackey into a 3-2 victory Tuesday night.

DeSclafani (7-7), the most experienced member of Cincinnati's all-rookie rotation with 20 starts, gave up seven hits and two runs in six innings. Last Wednesday in St. Louis, DeSclafani gave up only three hits in seven innings of a 1-0 win over the NL Central leaders.

"Same approach," manager Bryan Price said. "He has good stuff and he trusts it. It's more attitude than anything. I don't think he has any fear."

Aroldis Chapman fanned two in the ninth -- his fastball topping out at 101 mph -- for his 23rd save in 24 chances. The lefty has converted 56 consecutive save opportunities at Great American Ball Park since his last failure in September 2012.

Rays 11, White Sox 3

Chris Archer and the Tampa Bay Rays were well on their way to a lopsided victory over the Chicago White Sox by the time Richie Shaffer homered. Even so, that drive sparked the biggest celebration. After all, it was his first major league homer -- and the first hit of his career.

"It was what you dream of as a kid growing up, to be a part of that," Shaffer said.

Archer pitched seven strong innings, and Tampa Bay backed him with a season-high four homers while pounding Chris Sale and the White Sox 11-3 on Tuesday night.

Archer (10-8) allowed two runs and six hits for his first win since June 23. And the Rays matched their highest home run total since Sept. 7.

Dombrowski Fired By Tigers

The end of Dave Dombrowski's tenure in Detroit came suddenly and unexpectedly -- like so many of the moves he made to build the Tigers into an American League powerhouse.

Dombrowski is out after nearly 14 seasons as president and general manager of the Tigers. The Tigers, who have won the last four AL Central titles, announced the move Tuesday, catching people at Comerica Park and beyond by surprise. Dombrowski was fresh off making several big trades last week, and his exit set off rampant speculation about where he would work next.

Dombrowski was in the last season of his contract and overseeing a team stuck below .500, so there already was speculation about whether he would be back in 2016. But his abrupt exit -- accompanied by a somewhat cryptic explanation from the team -- was unusual.

Tuesday, August 4 Scoreboard

Tuesday, August 4

New York Yankees 13, Boston 3

Washington 5, Arizona 4

Philadelphia 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 2

Chicago Cubs 5, Pittsburgh 0

Toronto 3, Minnesota 1

Kansas City 5, Detroit 1

San Francisco 8, Atlanta 3

Cincinnati 3, St. Louis 2

New York Mets 5, Miami 1

Texas 4, Houston 3

Tampa Bay 11, Chicago White Sox 3

Milwaukee 4, San Diego 1

Seattle 10, Colorado 4

Cleveland 2, Los Angeles Angels 0 (F/12)

Oakland 5, Baltimore 0

Wednesday, August 5 Schedule (All Times Central)

Tampa Bay at Chicago, 1:10 p.m.

Seattle at Colorado, 2:10 p.m.

Cleveland at Los Angeles, 2:35 p.m.

Baltimore at Oakland, 2:35 p.m.

Boston at New York, 6:00 p.m.

Arizona at Washington, 6:05 p.m.

Los Angeles at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.

Chicago at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

Minnesota at Toronto, 6:07 p.m.

Kansas City at Detroit, 6:08 p.m.

San Francisco at Atlanta, 6:10 p.m.

St. Louis at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

New York at Miami, 6:10 p.m.

Houston at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

San Diego at Milwaukee, 7:10 p.m.