Nostalgia gripping Arrieta before what might be final start for Cubs

By Steve Greenberg

The Cubs’ Jake Arrieta was ineffective his last time on the mound, Sept. 26 in St. Louis. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Whether he commands $200 million on the free-agent market or nothing close to it, right-hander Jake Arrieta might be making his last start in a Cubs uniform Tuesday in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.

Judging by some of the 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner’s nostalgia-laced comments before Game 3 against the Nationals, the writing might be on the wall about his future.

‘‘I’m just trying to take everything in, look around a little bit more,’’ Arrieta said Monday. ‘‘Trying to, you know, capture some mental images of Wrigley and the fan base and my teammates and just try and remember as much as I can about these last couple of weeks — if it’s my last time in this uniform.’’

Arrieta, 31, even thanked president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer.

“I’m very thankful for Jed and Theo bringing me over here [in 2013] to give me another opportunity to revamp my career,’’ he said. ‘‘These next few days are going to be extremely special. And, if we’re fortunate enough to get past [the Nationals] — like I feel we are — I’m going to do everything I can to enjoy the last few weeks.’’

Too soon?

On a seemingly unrelated note, Arrieta indicated his struggles in his last start — five runs (three earned) in three innings Sept. 26 at St. Louis — might have stemmed from a premature return from injury. It was his second turn in the rotation after his comeback from a strained hamstring.

‘‘I think I initially wanted to get back out there as quick as I could,’’ he said. ‘‘Probably came back a few days too early. Had a slight setback but really was fortunate to have a good amount of time in between my start in St. Louis and [Tuesday] to get ample time to recover.’’

Tough act to follow

The pressure’s on Arrieta in ways that have nothing to do with the hamstring. After three games in the series, the Cubs’ starters have allowed one earned run in 18 2/3 innings (0.42 ERA).

Left-hander Jose Quintana allowed an unearned run in 5 2/3 innings in his postseason debut Monday. And that unearned run didn’t even score until he had been lifted in the sixth.

‘‘You couldn’t even tell it was his first playoff start,’’ third baseman Kris Bryant said. ‘‘He was totally in control and looked awesome out there.’’

From the time he was traded from the White Sox in July, Quintana talked openly and eagerly about getting his first postseason shot, then won some big games down the stretch leading up to the NL Central title.

‘‘It was really fun,’’ Quintana said. ‘‘It gets so loud here. To get here for the first time, it was amazing.’’

Contributing: Gordon Wittenmyer

Follow me on Twitter @SLGreenberg.

Email: sgreenberg@suntimes.com