CHICAGO -- The reunion between the Cubs and Jake Arrieta this season did not develop into the desired renaissance. Persistent problems have plagued the pitcher, who once hoisted the franchise on his shoulders.

It is that reputation, that history with the Cubs as a past Cy Young Award winner and World Series champion, that has convinced Chicago that Arrieta, even while laboring, can still be a valuable resource behind the scenes.

"That stuff can't be understated," Cubs manager David Ross said before Wednesday night's 10-0 loss to the Brewers. "That stuff's not around our game enough. Our game's gone really young and I understand a lot of that.

"But there's also that veteran voice that's competed at a high level that has World Series rings, experience, has carried a load. In some of the biggest moments in this organization's history, this guy's standing on the bump and you're relying on him."

There is no denying any of that, but there is also no getting around the extent of Arrieta's extreme struggles right now. And those woes were compounded Wednesday by a stellar start by Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes, who ended with 15 strikeouts in eight innings, including fanning 10 straight at one point to tie an AL/NL record.

Here is a glimpse at Arrieta’s troubles:

• Entering Wednesday, Arrieta had the highest ERA (8.28) and least pitching WAR (-1.2 per FanGraphs) among MLB pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched since April 30.

• Arrieta allowed seven runs on eight hits in the first inning against Milwaukee, giving him three games with at least that many runs allowed this season.

• The veteran had a 2.57 ERA five starts into the season. In the 15 starts since that point, Arrieta has posted an 8.95 ERA with a .355/.421/.645 opponents' slash line.

• His four innings Wednesday gave Arrieta nine starts with no more than that many frames logged. That is the most such starts by a Cubs pitcher since 1996 (Jim Bullinger, nine).

“Would I have liked to have pitched better? Would I like to have pitched better throughout the season? Of course,” Arrieta said. “But now the job description includes a lot more than just that. It's about helping these young guys grow. And finding any way that I can in my power to help them have success. That's important.”

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The Cubs have moved beyond contending this season and are now in a development phase. The North Siders recently summoned lefty Justin Steele from Triple-A Iowa, giving the team a six-man rotation for the time being.

At the same time, righty Keegan Thompson -- viewed as a potential rotation piece for the future, along with Steele and Adbert Alzolay -- is building up his innings at Iowa. Thompson is on a similar track as Steele: utilized as a reliever early on, but now on a path to late-season starts.

There is the chance that the Cubs reach a decision point with Arrieta once Thompson is deemed ready to return to the big leagues. The rookie righty threw 55 pitches in four shutout innings at Triple-A on Tuesday.

Prior to Wednesday's start, Ross -- behind the plate for plenty of dominant Arrieta outings in 2015-16, including one of the former ace's no-hitters -- was asked if he felt he owed the pitcher some "runway" to sort through his issues.

"Me, personally?" Ross replied. "Outside of being the manager, I would definitely say, 'Yeah.' I would like to give him as much runway as possible. I think this game is harsh at times, too. I think there's some hard realities in this game that don't always allow that.

"But I think he believes in himself and wants to prove to himself every time he's out there that he believes in his stuff and can still get big league hitters out. And I support that, for sure."

After the 35-year-old Arrieta labored through an 11-batter, 37-pitch first inning -- one with zero whiffs out of 18 swings -- he did at least work three more frames. With the game out of hand, and the Cubs coming off a draining doubleheader Tuesday, that helped the bullpen.

“That's the only thing you can do,” Arrieta said. “The way the game started, it wasn't looking good. But at that point, it doesn't matter. It's more about trying to get some innings for the team.”

There are certainly lessons to be gleaned by the younger arms from that kind of outing by Arrieta. At the same time, it seems unlikely that the pitcher is a part of the 2022 plans, adding some potential complications for how to proceed under the circumstances.

"Whether they're going to be with us next year," Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said, "and they're developing for what we want to do, or they're going to be free agents next year, I want those guys going into the offseason feeling good about where they are [and] how they end the season."

At the end of his Zoom session with reporters, Arrieta was asked for his thoughts on why the reunion with the Cubs has not gone according to hopes or expectations this season. The veteran offered only a short reply before ending the discussion.

“I’ve got nothing for you, man,” Arrieta said. “I’m doing the best I can, and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”