Jake Arrieta tosses first career no-hitter against the Dodgers

There is no longer any doubt concerning who is the ace of the Chicago Cubs. Jake Arrieta put that debate to rest Sunday, tossing a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Arrieta was masterful during the performance. He struck out 12 and walked just one during the outing. Arrieta seemed to get stronger as the game went on, striking out the side to end the game. 

For the Cubs, it was the team’s first no-hitter since 2008.

Jake Arrieta is bidding to be the 1st #Cubs pitcher since Carlos Zambrano in 2008 to throw a no-hitter, and only the 2nd in 43 years

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 31, 2015

Only two batters reached against Arrieta during the contest. Enrique Hernandez broke up a possible perfect game in the third inning, reaching on a Starlin Castro error. Hernandez actually reached second on a sacrifice bunt, but could not advance further.

Arrieta would walk Jimmy Rollins in the sixth inning, taking some of the possible heat away from Castro. Rollins was stranded at first after Arrieta got Chase Utley to fly out to end the frame. 

For Arrieta, the performance highlights his amazing turnaround since joining Chicago. 

Jake Arrieta had a 5.46 ERA in 358 innings with the Orioles prior to being traded to the Cubs in 2013. His breakout has been amazing.

— D.J. Short (@djshort) August 31, 2015

With the Cubs, and under the tutelage of pitching coach Chris Bosio, Arrieta has undeniably transformed into an ace. In 330 2/3 innings since he joined the club, Arrieta has posted a 2.37 ERA. He has dramatically increased his ground ball rate while striking out more than a batter per inning with Chicago.

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As the Cubs have inched closer to making the playoffs, there’s been some debate about which pitcher should start a possible one game playoff. After this start, it’s becoming clear that Arrieta is probably the right choice. 

For the Dodgers, it’s the second time in nine days that the club has been no-hit. Amazingly, that’s not a major-league record. 

Dodgers were no-hit 9 days ago. They won’t set a MLB record, though. 1917 White Sox went down on consecutive days, May 5 and 6.

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) August 31, 2015

With the performance, Arrieta now has a 2.11 ERA on the season. 

Things might have been rough for Arrieta for a number of years, but now he’s turned into a legitimate threat. His recent performance, including Sunday’s no-hitter, is the perfect metaphor for the Cubs’ return to relevance. 

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik