Jake Arrieta, 2012 Topps Heritage High Numbers #H588

Jake Arrieta is a wealthier man than he was last week. After waiting out an unusually slow and austere free agent market, the 2015 NL Cy Young signed a three-year, $75 million contract with the Phillies. While the 32-year-old had an impressive four and a half year stay in Chicago (68-31, 2.73 ERA, 147 ERA+), there is still cause for concern. Firstly, he's a pitcher; they're designed to break. More to the point, in the last two seasons his walks and home runs allowed have risen while his cutter has been less effective. Obviously, he was so absurdly unhittable in 2015 that the backslide of 2016-2017 still saw him pitch better than, say, any Orioles starter. (Grumble grumble groan.) But the pessimist in me was sure that if hell froze over and the O's and Jake agreed to reunite, he would've immediately fallen apart. So I'm perversely relieved that he's staying in the National League. We'll see how I feel in June when the Birds are back to shuffling the likes of Mike Wright, Jr. and Gabriel Ynoa in and out of the rotation.

Jake Arrieta, 2013 Topps #134

Congratulations to Jake Arrieta for tossing his first career no-hitter tonight against the Dodgers. A dozen strikeouts (including the last three batters of the game), one walk, one Starlin Castro error. He threw 116 pitches, including 80 strikes, and improves to an MLB-best 17-6 with a 2.11 ERA. I'm not bitter about this at all. Not even a little. I'm certainly not wondering whether his remarkable successes in Chicago are a damning indictment of the Baltimore organization's player development.

Jake Arrieta, 2007 Tristar Prospects Plus #96

I don't think I've mentioned it here, but it's super-annoying that Jake Arrieta figured out how to pitch after the Orioles traded him to the Cubs in 2013. In 53 starts with Chicago, the righty is 25-12 with a 2.70 ERA (139 ERA+) and a 3.62-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In 69 games (63 starts) in parts of four seasons in Baltimore, Jake was 20-25 with a 5.46 ERA (77 ERA+) and a 1.74 strikeout-to-walk ratio. What a butthead.

Jake Arrieta, 2010 Topps Chrome #213

You might notice that this Jake Arrieta card scan is blurry at the bottom. That's because it doesn't lay flat on the scanner bed. Like most 2010 Topps Chrome cards, it's curled more than your average potato chip. I should go put my small handful of 2010 Chrome cards underneath one of my giant, dense baseball encyclopedias and see if they flatten out.

Jake Arrieta, 2011 Topps Orioles Team Set #BAL11

Love? Love is when your wife packs your lunch the night before, and you open the bag the next afternoon and find a pack of Orioles cards stashed inside as a surprise. Now I have the 2011 Orioles team set, complete with Jake Arrieta's ill-fitting cap and terrible mustache. Just because.

Jake Arrieta, 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen #267

Just because Andy MacPhail's no longer in charge of the Orioles' personnel decisions, that doesn't mean that the Birds can't make deals with the Cubs. Today current GM Dan Duquette kicked off trading season by sending two of the O's problem children to the North Side of Chicago in exchange for an upgrade to the starting rotation. Adios to Pedro Strop. See ya later, Jake Arrieta. Better luck finding the strike zone and getting your heads screwed on straight over in the National League Central.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to have gotten anyone of potential value for Messrs. S. and A. Scott Feldman doesn't have a long track record of success, but he's a ground ball pitcher coming to a team with an excellent pair of left-side infielders. He'll damn sure be an upgrade over the likes of Freddy Garcia, and if he can do a bit of what Joe Saunders did for the Orioles in 2012, it could be the difference between another postseason berth and a long, lonely October on the sidelines.

Jake Arrieta, 2010 Topps Chrome Refractor #213

Last Saturday marked the third consecutive year that I've attended Orioles FanFest. Why would I do such a thing, wondered nobody in particular? It's simple. Winter is long and cold and gray. It's about to get a lot duller, what with football season drawing to a close. I get a momentary respite from that baseball-lacking void that runs from November into February, and I allow myself to push aside just a bit of the abundant cynicism that allows me to cope with being an O's fan. In January, everyone is healthy, in shape, and 100% focused on having their best year ever...well, except for Brian Roberts, I guess. But I'll admit to being just a little encouraged by things like Mark Reynolds being 15 pounds lighter and determined to improve his comical defensive play at third base. I'm willing to believe that Brady Anderson has the magic formula to fix Brian Matusz when the new assistant GM asserts that Matusz is "like a different human".

Most of all, I get pumped up when I hear how strong Jake Arrieta feels after having large bone chips removed from his elbow. Given that Arrieta had knowingly been pitching with the chips for years, there's a good possibility that we've never seen what he can do at full strength. He acknowledges that anything beyond five innings was a physical struggle for him, and that this shouldn't be the case any longer.

Look, my football team just missed a spot in the Super Bowl in harrowing fashion. I need a little happy juice today.

Jake Arrieta, 2010 Topps Update Series #US-251

Well, this weekend ended up much better than it started. After getting shut out on four hits by rookie Jeremy Hellickson on Friday night, the Orioles rebounded to win two straight and take another road series from the Rays. Last night, some O's that have struggled all year long flipped the script in a 6-0 win. Jake Fox and Mark Reynolds hit home runs to support Brad Bergesen, who earned a couple of firsts: his first win of the season, and his first-ever complete-game shutout. When paired with Jeremy Guthrie's hard-luck loss (number 1,350 in that category for him) the night before, it gave the Birds their first back-to-back complete games since the days of Sidney Ponson and Rodrigo Lopez...that's 2003 if you're keeping score.

Earlier this afternoon, the O's took the rubber match in a close contest that turned into a laugher with a 9-3 final. Jake Arrieta turned in his seventh quality start in nine tries in 2011, bumping his record to 5-1 with a six-inning, two-run, seven-strikeout effort. Matt Wieters, Derrek Lee, and Reynolds all had run-scoring singles, and Nick Markakis hit his fourth home run of the year. Oh, and then there's J. J. Hardy. His sixth-inning grand slam broke the game open, and made him a .400 hitter (10-for-25) with 2 home runs, 7 RBI, and a pair of walks since his return last week from the disabled list. The Orioles are now 9-2 when James Jerry plays, and were 10-18 without him. What I'm saying is that I will personally cover J. J. Hardy in bubble wrap if that's what it takes to keep him on the field. Now it's on to Boston, to make sure the Red Sox stay at the bottom of the Eastern division.

Jake Arrieta, 2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Gold #BDPP92

This card serves as a reminder that help is on the way, and soon. Chris Tillman (#22), Brian Matusz (#25), and Jake Arrieta (#67) are all ranked in Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list for 2009, and all three pitchers could be in Baltimore's major league plans in 2010. There's no sense in rushing such young talent. I try to remind myself of that every time I fret about the current state of the O's pitching staff, as was the case last night. I was sitting in Nationals Park watching five of the first six batters reach against Alfredo Simon, who is starting 2009 as our third starting pitcher. The Orioles were in a 4-0 hole thanks to a Josh Willingham grand slam, and I found myself explaining to a stranger behind me that the righthander was plucked from the Mexican leagues.

In all fairness, last night's game could have been much uglier. Simon buckled down after being taken deep, pitching another four and one-third innings before giving way to Jamie Walker. Although it was chilly, I had a good time. Some observations:

-There were several large, odd-shaped things wrapped in butcher paper inside the main gates. I assume they were statues and that they'll be unveiled for the home opener, but it still looked pretty sloppy.

-I let out a loud "O!" during the National Anthem, and heard a similar shout ripple through the stadium; for the non-local readers, it's a Baltimore tradition to punctuate the line, "O, say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave..." with a war cry for the Orioles. It's even done at Ravens games and other various events. Some Phillistine Nats fan behind me muttered, "Pathetic". I assume he was talking about the home team.

-Speaking of which, I didn't truly appreciate how bereft of star power the Nationals are until I saw a guy wearing a Jason Bergmann jersey. But hey, who am I to judge a guy who spends over $100 on the jersey of a pitcher with a 10-19 record who didn't make this year's Opening Day roster?

-One of the beer vendors noticed my gray "Baltimore" road jersey and asked if the team were wearing them. I pointed out that they were wearing the black road BP jerseys, but that they still had "Baltimore" across the chests. He explained that he was working at Nats Park for the money, but that he "bleeds black and orange". You better believe he got a tip for that.

-As far as beer goes, $7.50 for a 16-oz. bottle. Obscene. And Bud Light in the aluminum bottle on a chilly night? Not the best idea I ever had.

-I wonder if Luke Scott will get a haircut this week. He was rocking an impressive mullet last night.

-The Oriole bats are looking as strong as advertised. They had 16 hits, although they weren't strong in the clutch (11 left on base). Aubrey Huff's three-run homer was the only big blow in a 5-4 loss, and Nick Markakis was 3-for-3.

-Chris Ray was also sharp, pitching a scoreless two-thirds of an inning and keeping his cool as the Nationals kept fouling off pitch after pitch. Coming off of Tommy John elbow surgery, he did not allow a single earned run this spring.

-I may look upon the Nationals with a lot of scorn, but the racing Presidents are ridiculously entertaining.

-Gregg ZAUN's scoreboard mugshot is hilarious. Look for it if you're going to a game this year.

Enough talk of exhibition games. Tomorrow we PLAY BALL! It'll be my first Opening Day at the Yard, so keep your fingers crossed that the rain (and CC Sabathia's best stuff) stays away!