Jake Arrieta pitches a no-hitter — his second since August — and Cubs rout Reds

CINCINNATI —  Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs pitched his second no-hitter in a span of 11 regular-season starts, shutting down the Cincinnati Reds in a 16-0 rout Thursday night.

The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner threw the first no-hitter of the major league season.

Arrieta (4-0) struck out six, walked four and allowed only six balls to be hit out of the infield. He threw 119 pitches, retiring Eugenio Suarez on a routine fly ball to right field to end it.

“Once I got to the eighth, that was the idea: Try to be good on the edges and not make any mistakes,” he said.

Arrieta threw his first career no-hitter Aug. 30 at Chavez Ravine, beating the Dodgers, 2-0. That gem came as Arrieta put together one of the best pitching stretches in club history.

The Reds hadn’t been held hitless in a regular-season game since 1971, when Rick Wise did it for Philadelphia at Riverfront Stadium. In the 2010 NL playoffs, Roy Halladay of the Phillies pitched a no-hitter against Cincinnati.

Arrieta is among several pitchers in the last decade to pitch two no-hitters. The 30-year-old right-hander is on the list with Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Tim Lincecum and Homer Bailey.

“Baseball history, there’s so many things I’ve been able to be a part of over these last 12, 15 months,” Arrieta said. “We’re really trying to enjoy it.”

Arrieta is the first Cubs pitcher to win his first four starts in a season since Greg Maddux went 5-0 in 2006. Ken Holtzman is the only other Cubs pitcher to throw more than one no-hitter in the modern era, doing it in 1969 and 1971.

Kris Bryant homered twice, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs. Arrieta contributed a pair of singles and a walk as the Cubs pulled away.

The 16-run margin approached the most lopsided victory in major league history. In 1884, Pud Galvin and Buffalo beat the Detroit Wolverines 18-0, STATS said.

By Arrieta’s standards, it was a bit of a struggle. He walked three batters — he’d allowed only two walks in his first three starts combined — and needed 85 pitches to get through six innings.

“It felt sloppy from the get-go,” Arrieta said. “I was a little off on my command, but I was able to keep them off balance.”

After that, he dug in and made quick work of the Reds’ lineup.

The thousands of Cubs fans in the crowd of 16,497 were on their feet cheering as Arrieta walked Scott Schebler to open the ninth, got pinch-hitter Tucker Barnhart on a popup, Zack Cozart on a fly to center, and Suarez on a fly to Jason Heyward.

Arrieta and catcher David Ross embraced halfway between home plate and the mound as the rest of the Cubs circled around him.

In September 2014, Arrieta lost a no-hit bid against the Reds on Brandon Phillips’ one-out double in the eighth at Wrigley Field.