Cubs' Arrieta carries no-no into 8th inning: I 'welcome' ace label

After carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, Chicago Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta suggested he's comfortable being regarded as the club's incumbent ace.

"It’s not going to frighten me, if that’s what you’re wondering," Arrieta told CSNChicago after recording 13 strikeouts in his first career complete-game shutout. "I've overcome a lot of things in my career and started to establish myself and put myself in a position like this. That’s kind of the territory that I'm in, and I welcome it."

Arrieta, a fifth-round draft pick in 2007, emerged as the de facto leader of Chicago's rotation after Jeff Samardzija was traded to Oakland in July. Arrieta's performance this season certainly bespeaks a pitcher who's ready to take his role as a frontline starter, crafting a 2.65 ERA (145 ERA+) with a 1.02 WHIP through 24 starts, and a career-best 3.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 149 2/3 innings.