Herausforderungen » during Quicks absence but Lombardi con

OAKLAND, Calif. -- After the way Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta finished last season en route to winning the National League Cy Young Award and started this season, he was overdue for a rough streak.Arrieta went 11-0 with a 0.57 ERA over his final 13 regular-season starts last year, and the Cubs went 13-0 during that stretch. This year, he went 9-0 with a 1.72 ERA in his first 10 starts as the Cubs won all 10.But over his past five starts, Arrieta has gone 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA, and the Cubs have lost all five games. Hell try to end that skid Saturday afternoon against the Oakland As in the second game of a three-game series at the Oakland Coliseum.I just think we all (have) high highs and lows, catcher David Ross said Friday before the Cubs 7-2 victory against Oakland. Its going to be hard to sustain what he was doing. I dont think anythings wrong.I think we all went through a little stretch there where we were kind of fatigued. I think the All-Star break helped him recover and hes pitched well since then. It could be fatigue, it could be rhythm, it could be any number of things. But for how long he sustained just being completely unhittable, I think everybody said, Whats wrong? when he gives up a couple runs.Arrieta (12-5) certainly isnt sweating his mini-slump. In his previous start, he gave up two runs on two hits over seven innings in a 4-1 loss to Seattle. Two starts before that, he held the Mets to one run on five hits over seven innings and got a no-decision in a 2-1 loss.Yeah, two hits, Arrieta said of his start against the Mariners. Two walks in the 8th or it could have easily been a different story. A couple close calls led to a couple base runners. They ended up getting a couple.Sometimes this game does weird things to you. But trying to get locked in and be at our best individually down the stretch is the most important thing for us. Thats kind of what were striving to do.Oakland catcher Stephen Vogt said the As are expecting nothing but the best from Arrieta.I faced him a lot in the minor leagues, Vogt said. You cant say enough about what hes done over the last couple years. Its pretty special. Im looking forward to the challenge. Hes got some of the best numbers in baseball and hes had some of the best success over the last couple years. It will be a good challenge for us. Im looking forward to it.As right-hander Sonny Gray will be looking again to recapture the command he had last year when he finished third in the American League Cy Young Award voting. Gray is 5-10 with a 5.84 ERA and 15 wild pitches.Obviously hes frustrated and obviously hes working to get better every day, Vogt said. Its just been kind of when he hasnt been good, they take advantage of him, and when he has been good, bounces havent gone his way.So its kind of been an up-and-down season for him. But hes handling it well. I think hes learning. Obviously its not easy, but hes doing a good job, hes keeping a good level head and hes putting his work in every week, like he has all year.In his previous start, Gray gave up seven runs over 3 1/3 innings in an 8-0 loss to Cleveland.Were always looking and expecting him to go out and be the guy that weve seen in the past, As manager Bob Melvin said. So is he. Its just about going out there and stringing a few performances together that get him going in the right direction again. Yeezy 700 Carbon Blue Outlet .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Fake Yeezy Store China . 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Kings goalie Jonathan Quick is scheduled to be back in mid-February if all goes well in his recovery, Los Angeles general manager Dean Lombardi said Wednesday.Lombardi told the Los Angeles Times earlier on Wednesday that Quick would return in March. But when reached by ESPN, Lombardi said he had misspoken to some degree.Nothing has changed. Youre looking at mid-February in all likelihood. That hasnt changed. Best-case scenario is early February, Lombardi told ESPN, though he added a worst-case scenario could push it to late February or early March.Quick suffered a lower-body injury in the season-opening win against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 12. Lombardi previously told ESPN the injury was something the goalie had first tweaked in the World Cup of Hockey in September.Quick had a nonsurgical procedure on Oct. 19 to address the issue.Veteran backup Peter Budaj has filled in during Quicks absence but Lombardi confirmedd the team continues to look at trade options for a goalie.ddddddddddddeah, were constantly looking at it, Lombardi said. Clearly when you lose your No. 1 goalie, youve got a hole. But the reality is, youve got two issues: first, whats out there [on the trade market]. Two, a lot of our players havent been at the top of their game and were still in it.So we got to focus on that and not allow what happened in Montreal, Lombardi said, referring to last season when Carey Prices injury derailed the Canadiens season.But we have a lot of guys that would freely admit they havent been on the top of their game. And its easy to just point at losing a goalie that may cover up a lot for you. But the reality is, we need to focus on [playing better] as much as looking outside the organization right now. ' ' '