4 years agoChicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta will start the second game of the season against the Pirates, while starting pitcher Zach Davies will start the series finale, the Chicago Tribune's Meghan Montemurro reports. Arrieta will make his return to Chicago after playing in Philadelphia the last three seasons, as he looks to rebound from a 2020 campaign that saw him go 4-4 with a 5.08 ERA and a 16.8 percent strikeout rate in nine starts. He has not done much to impress this spring, allowing four runs on 14 hits and four walks while striking out 10 in 15 innings of work. Meanwhile, Davies will make his Cubs debut after a career-year with the Padres in 2020 where he went 7-4 with a 2.73 ERA and 22.8 percent strikeout rate in 12 starts. Arrieta and Davies will both benefit from going up against a weak Pirates offense that tied for 10th worst in the majors with a team 24.4 percent strikeout rate and tied for third worst with a team .220 average in 2020. Davies will be the better start of the two, but Arrieta could be a sneaky streaming option in deeper formats.--Michael Grennell - RotoBaller
Source: Meghan Montemurro