Cubs' Arrieta expects to throw 75-80 pitches in Thursday's return

When Jake Arrieta left the Chicago Cubs' game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 4 with a hamstring injury, you could hear the collective groan from the clubhouse from miles away. It looked bad, but it was not considered a threat to his season.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Arrieta said he has felt increasingly more comfortable in his bullpen sessions and expects to start Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

"Getting out there Thursday and probably 75-80 pitches, and kind of building from there," Arrieta said, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "The idea is to be able to be out there the last game against Cincinnati pretty much at full pitch count and to be ready for the playoffs."

Amid a trying season, Arrieta had put together his best stretch prior to the injury. In 11 starts between July and August, Arrieta went 7-2 with a 1.69 ERA, and didn't allow a single home run over his four starts heading into September.

The 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner also said the injury was possibly a blessing in disguise for his arm.

"The good thing is the arm strength is there, it's remained there, and I actually feel better for maybe having a little bit of time off, arm-strength wise," he said.

Arrieta gets treated to an opponent in the Brewers that he has handled well in 2017. He's 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 0.846 WHIP in his two starts against Milwaukee this season.