Arrieta retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced. Saturday marked the second straight start Arrieta pitched into at least the eighth inning and the third time in four starts he allowed two runs or fewer. It was a welcome sight for the righty after he went 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA in July.
Gray entered amid his own July struggles, but he was better Saturday until a sore right extensor muscle forced his sudden departure. He held Chicago to two runs on five hits over five innings, including Zobrist's two-out, two-run single in the third. Gray was replaced by Liam Hendriks, who gave up two runs on RBIs by Addison Russell and Jorge Soler to make it 4-0.
Both teams donned throwback-style uniforms on a day in which Oakland honored its 1981 team. The Cubs now have a league-best record of 68-41, while the A's lost for the seventh time in their past eight games, falling a season-high 14 games below .500.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Key two-out hit: Zobrist stroked a solid single into center field to drive in Willson Contreras and Dexter Fowler, who led off the third inning with singles. A strikeout and groundout later, Gray had a chance to get out of the frame without damage. Zobrist, a former A's teammate, dashed that hope.
Gray's day ends abruptly: Gray wasn't perfect, allowing five hits through the first three innings, but he didn't surrender a hit over his last two frames and retired the final seven batters he faced. So it came as a surprise when Hendriks trotted in from the bullpen to begin the sixth inning, ending Gray's day after just 72 pitches and cutting short what appeared to be a bounce-back start for the righty. The team later announced Gray's injury.
WHAT'S NEXT
Cubs: Right-hander Kyle Hendricks makes the start in Sunday's 3:05 p.m. CT series finale. He's coming off his second career shutout, which he accomplished with a season-high 123 pitches. He's never faced the A's, and he is 2-6 with a 3.75 ERA on the road.
Athletics: Sean Manaea (3-6, 4.68 ERA) starts at 1:05 p.m. PT Sunday at the Coliseum. The rookie is 1-2 with a 3.14 ERA in seven starts since coming off the disabled list on June 29, but he took the loss Tuesday in his last start against the Angels, giving up four runs in 5 2/3 innings.
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Mark Chiarelli is a reporter for MLB.com based in the Bay Area who covered the A's on Saturday.
Rick Eymer is a contributor to MLB.com based in the Bay Area who covered the Cubs on Saturday.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
In throwback mode, Arrieta shuts down A's
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