Arrieta scoffs at PED whispers: 'Some people are idiots'

Jake Arrieta is in the heat of the best 24-game pitching performance in baseball history, and he's shrugging off skeptics that don't think he's doing it clean.

The right-hander is fresh off his second no-hitter, and since his last loss on July 25, 2015 against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cubs have won each of his last 17 starts. Over that stretch, he's pitched 178 innings and owns a sparkling 0.65 ERA.

But being the best pitcher in the majors creates some doubt - something he's growing accustomed to.

"I've heard players, and I'm talking about some of the best players in the league, question whether I've taken steroids or no," Arrieta told USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale. "Some of the things I hear are pretty funny, and some people are idiots, frankly."

Arrieta is a rags-to-riches type of player who's enjoyed the pitching equivalent of Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista's journey from baseball vagabond to one of MLB's most feared power hitters.

Arrieta was the low-end arm sent to the Cubs three years ago in a deal with the Baltimore Orioles for Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger. Now, he's just over the midway mark between his time with the O's and the Cubs - and the numbers are indicative of a reincarnated superstar.

The reigning NL Cy Young winner laughs off the idea that if he's good, he must be on something, but said there's a line that shouldn't be crossed.

"Hey, that's one of the best compliments you can give a guy," he said. "I appreciate the fact that you think I'm pretty good, but taking steroids, that's pushing it."

He added that he condemns performance-enhancing drug use in the bigs.

"If there are guys still on it, I hope they get caught," he said. "I care about the integrity of the game. I wouldn't want to disappoint my family, my friends, my fans.

"That's a huge motivating factor in doing it the right way."