Jake's body of work solid, just not enough

CHICAGO -- Last year, Jake Arrieta carried three no-hit bids into the seventh inning. On Tuesday, the Reds ended the Cubs right-hander's chances in the fourth.

Arrieta retired the first nine batters he faced, then served up three runs on five hits in the fourth, which was all Cincinnati needed to post a 3-2 win over Chicago.

The right-hander admitted he was thinking about a possible no-hitter after the first three innings, but just a little bit.

"There's still so much work to do throughout the game to get to the point where it becomes a serious possibility," Arrieta said. "Knowing you haven't given up hits through three is kind of a momentum boost moving forward to the fourth and fifth innings, to kind of build confidence a little bit executing pitches. It creeps in there from time to time."

The Reds didn't hit Arrieta hard, just found holes.

"At the end of the day, they put some good swings on balls that were off the plate," Arrieta said. "Their guy [Anthony DeSclafani] was tough. He pitched a really good game, stayed out of the middle of the plate, and had some good life on his fastball. From start to finish, they were solid."

Arrieta has thrown six consecutive quality starts, and 12 in a row at Wrigley Field.