Fans headed to Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon are in for a treat with Madison Bumgarner and Jake Arrieta set to take the mound in a meeting of two of baseball's premier aces.
"Both outstanding competitors, both have won the top awards," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Saturday's matchup. "It will be an interesting day there's no question -- it's going to be a very low-scoring good game."
Go inside the numbers that make both pitchers stand out, and then vote for which ace you would rather have at the bottom of the page:
Why Bumgarner-Arrieta is a true ace showdown
Saturday's matchup will be a spectacle because of their pedigrees, obviously. Arrieta, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, is enjoying an impressive followup season with a 16-5 record, a 2.84 ERA, and a scant 111 hits allowed in 168 innings. Bumgarner, the 2014 World Series MVP, has been in optimal MadBum form this year. He ranks second in the NL in ERA to Kyle Hendricks and third in strikeouts behind Max Scherzer and Jose Fernandez, and he's instinctively the man that manager Bruce Bochy and the Giants look to when things aren't going well and the team is in dire straits.
Beyond the numbers, few matchups in baseball exude more intensity than this one. Bumgarner and Arrieta both wanted to take part in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby, and were legitimately ticked when they didn't get the call. They also have two of the best death stares in baseball. Whomever comes out on top in this one is going to have to earn it. -- Jerry Crasnick
What makes Bumgarner special
Bumgarner doesn't have the Cy Young on his mantel that Arrieta does, nor the no-hitter (let alone more than one) under his belt, but for the Giants' power pitcher, it feels like only a matter of time before he reaches those accolades and accomplishments. A few more thoughts on the lefty whose 2.49 ERA is second in the majors:
Get him to the postseason and watch him go: Bumgarner won World Series MVP honors in 2014 for a Fall Classic performance that just begs on the superlatives. His five-inning save in Game 7 was the longest in postseason history. He became just the second pitcher with 5 or more scoreless innings in relief in a winner-take-all World Series game, and the first since 1947 (Elias). And it wasn't just that game -- he threw 21 innings in that World Series, allowing just one earned run.
And it wasn't just 2014 in the World Series, either. Bumgarner has a 2.14 ERA in his career in the postseason, the best ERA among active pitchers with at least 9 postseason starts. Those pre-2014 starts include eight scoreless innings in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series at just 21 years old and seven scoreless in World Series Game 2 in 2012.
He's consistent: Bumgarner has made at least 30 starts in each full season of his career. Saturday's start will be his 29th this season. He has 106 starts of at least seven innings pitched since he was called up for good in 2010 -- only two NL pitchers have more such games in that span.
Good luck hitting his curveball: Opponents are hitting just .118 against Bumgarner's curveball this season, the third-lowest mark against any starter who has thrown at least 350 curves and the best among NL starters. He's one of just two starters to throw at least 350 curveballs this season and not give up a home run on the pitch. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Info
What makes Arrieta special
While Arrieta hasn't been quite as dominant as he was during his Cy Young-winning year last season, he's still in the mix to repeat for the prestigious award. Here's what makes the Cubs' ace stand out:
He avoids hard contact: Since the start of 2014, Arrieta is one of three starting pitchers with a hard-hit rate under 10 percent (9.5 percent). The other two are Clayton Kershaw (8.6 percent) and Tyson Ross (9.2 percent).
It's hard to get hits off of him: Opposing hitters are hitting .185 against him this season, lowest in MLB. The highest batting average against any of his pitches this season is .237 against his slider.
His curveball has been great lately: In his last eight starts, Arrieta has thrown 102 curveballs. Opponents are 2-for-23 in plate appearances ending with the pitch with no walks and nine strikeouts.
It's nearly impossible to get to him early: In the first three innings of his starts this season, Arrieta has allowed a 1.73 ERA, second in MLB to Kyle Hendricks (1.44). Opponents have a .454 OPS against him in the first three innings of games this season, which is nearly 100 points lower than the next-closest pitcher (Carlos Martínez, .550).
The Cubs are 14-1 in Arrieta's starts this season when they give him a lead after three innings. -- Ken Woolums, ESPN Stats & Info