Community Picks: Chicago Cubs 0% vs Pittsburgh Pirates 0%

Jake Arrieta and Jonathon Niese are both unbeaten, but one has given up four times the earned runs of the other in 7 2/3 fewer innings. Arrieta (5-0, 1.00 ERA) is 16-0 with a 0.69 ERA in 18 regular-season starts since last losing on July 25. The last Cubs pitcher to go beyond that was Milt Pappas' 11-start winning streak in 1972, and Arrieta is the first to win his first five starts of a season since Greg Maddux in 2006. Continue to Article

May 03, 2016 1:16:am EST

St Louis Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright has carved out a pretty good career as a pitcher. The 34-year-old owns a 3.05 ERA over 11 years in the majors. He's been elected to three All-Star games, been a finalist for both the Cy Young and MVP award and has won two World Series rings. [ Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now ] So, yeah, the whole pitching thing has worked out for him. But in an alternate universe where Wainwright opted for offense, he probably could have made it as a power-hitting outfielder. Wainwright proved as much Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies. While he struggled on the mound early, surrendering three runs in the third inning, Wainwright had a chance at revenge in the bottom of the fourth.  With two men on, Wainwright delivered an absolute bomb. He launched a 91 mph fastball from Jeremy Hellickson 408 feet into the second deck out in left field. The hit tied the game, and played a huge role in the Cardinals' eventual 9-3 comeback victory. As you can see from the above video, the ball landed in "Big Mac Land." That's the branded area of the park named after former Cards slugger Mark McGwire. Pitchers aren't supposed to be able to hit the ball into "Big Mac Land." Wainwright isn't exactly known for his hitting. He carries a .197 career batting average over 593 plate appearances. That said, there's some evidence that he's been locked in at the plate this year. Adam Wainwright leads all pitchers in batted balls 100 MPH+ with 5. He has two tonight, 105.4 HR and a 105.7 MPH double. — Daren Willman (@darenw) May 3, 2016 It's also worth noting that the Pittsburgh Pirates considered drafting Wainwright as an outfielder back in 2000, according to Jenifer Langosch of the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch. Interesting fact I learned when reporting feature on Wainwright: #Pirates were prepared to draft him in 2nd round (2000) as an outfielder. — Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) October 3, 2013 That didn't happen, obviously, but it gives you an idea of Wainwright's abilities. He was once considered a pretty decent hitter. [Elsewhere: Justin Verlander and Kate Upton are engaged ] With that said, he's probably glad he went the pitching route. " Chicks dig the long ball " is old and outdated now. We're guessing Wainwright will take a game-ending strikeout over a dinger any day. More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports: The StewPod: A baseball podcast by Yahoo Sports Subscribe via iTunes or via RSS feed - - - - - - - Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik Continue to Article

May 03, 2016 12:25:am EST