Cubs pick up Arrieta following rare off outing

CHICAGO — Usually on days when Jake Arrieta is pitching, the Cubs’ bullpen can relax.

“When Jake starts, I feel like we can take a nap until the seventh or eighth innings,” Cubs reliever Trevor Cahill said.

On Sunday, it was all hands on deck as Arrieta was lifted after five innings against a pesky Nationals team. The ‘pen picked him up, as did Javier Baez, who hit a walk-off home run with one out in the 13th in a 4-3 Chicago win over Washington.

“An incredible series and a pretty special way to end it the way Javy did today,” Arrieta said of the Cubs’ sweep of the Nationals in this showdown between two of the top teams in the Majors.

Chicago manager Joe Maddon wasn’t surprised at how the entire roster contributed.

“The whole group is complementing each other,” Maddon said. “Nobody is worried about credit or other crazy stuff. We’re just worried about winning, and that’s why we’re playing so well.”

Arrieta didn’t pitch poorly, he just struggled with his command and had to exit after throwing 100 pitches.

“He had great stuff, not good stuff,” Maddon said of the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. “His stuff was outstanding. But …

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