CINCINNATI (AP) — The Reds couldn’t even manage a hit off Jake Arrieta, and that wasn’t even the worst part for the home team.

Arrieta pitched his second no-hitter in a span of 11 regular-season starts, shutting down Cincinnati in the Chicago Cubs’ 16-0 rout on Thursday night. The reigning NL Cy Young winner threw the first no-hitter of the Major League Baseball season.

The Cubs hit five homers — Kris Bryant had a two-run shot and a grand slam — while making it the most lopsided no-hitter in the majors since Pud Galvin and Buffalo beat the Detroit Wolverines 18-0 in 1884, according to STATS.

“If you’re a Reds fan, you’re feeling miserable,” manager Bryan Price said. “As good as Arrieta was, nobody wants to get no-hit. Nobody wants to give up 16 runs. Nothing positive can come out of that game.”

Arrieta (4-0) struck out six, walked four and allowed only six balls hit out of the infield. He threw 119 pitches, retiring Eugenio Suarez on a routine fly ball to right field to end it. Arrieta threw his first career no-hitter last Aug. 30 at Dodger Stadium, beating Los Angeles 2-0.

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.

“We got dominated,” Reds outfielder Jay Bruce said. “That’s the most dominating game I’ve ever been a part of. He was great; we weren’t.

“Every time he goes out there, he’s got no-hit stuff. He’s arguably the best pitcher in the game today.”

Arrieta is among several pitchers in the last decade to pitch two no-hitters. The 30-year-old righty is on the list with Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Tim Lincecum and Homer Bailey, who threw the only other no-hitter at Great American Ball Park on July 2, 2013, against the Giants.

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.

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

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 inning at Wrigley Field.

This time, the offense made the outcome a moot point while extending the Cubs’ best start since 1970.

Bryant hit a two-run shot in the first off Brandon Finnegan (1-1), and his third career grand slam in the seventh off Drew Hayes made it 13-0. Ben Zobrist and Ross added solo shots, and Anthony Rizzo had a three-run homer.

Finnegan started at Wrigley Field on April 11 and didn’t allow a hit until Ross singled with two outs in the seventh. They were ready for the left-hander this time. Dexter Fowler doubled off the wall in center on Finnegan’s first pitch of the game, and Bryant’s homer made it 2-0.

Zobrist homered in the second inning as the Cubs made it 4-0. They’re unbeaten this season when scoring at least four times, going 11-0.

ARRIETA’S SURGE

Arrieta added to his club-record of 24 consecutive quality starts since June 21, going 20-1 with a 0.86 ERA. He’s 15-0 in 16 starts since Aug. 1 of last season with a 0.53 ERA, allowing a total of seven earned runs in 119 1/3 innings.

BEATING THE REDS

The Cubs have won their last five games in Cincinnati, the first time they’ve done that since the 1972-73 seasons.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: CF Billy Hamilton was out of the lineup with a sore left thumb, injured when he hit his glove while trying for a catch in St. Louis last weekend. He aggravated it on Wednesday and will be sidelined a couple of days. … RHP Alfredo Simon is still expected to start on Sunday against the Cubs. He had to miss his last scheduled start because of biceps tendinitis and got an injection of anti-inflammatories.

UP NEXT

Cubs: LHP Jon Lester (1-1) is 1-0 in five career starts against the Reds with a 3.82 ERA.

Reds: Jon Moscot (0-0) makes his second start. He came off the DL on Sunday and received no decision in a 4-3 loss at St. Louis, giving up six hits and three runs in 5 2/3 innings.

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Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay

Reds 6, Rockies 5

Chicago (NL) AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Fowler cf 5 3 2 1 1 0 .393

Heyward rf 4 2 2 0 2 1 .200

Bryant 3b 6 4 4 6 0 1 .273

Rizzo 1b 6 2 1 3 0 1 .186

Soler lf 5 0 1 0 0 1 .196

Szczur lf 1 0 1 1 0 0 .353

Zobrist 2b 5 1 3 3 1 0 .246

A.Russell ss 6 0 0 0 0 1 .196

D.Ross c 4 3 2 1 1 1 .278

Arrieta p 4 1 2 0 1 1 .273

Totals 46 16 18 15 6 7

 

Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Cozart ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 .390

Suarez 3b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .276

Votto 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .172

De Jesus Jr. 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .056

Phillips 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .327

T.Holt lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222

Bruce rf 2 0 0 0 1 1 .283

Mesoraco c 3 0 0 0 0 1 .147

Duvall lf-1b 3 0 0 0 0 2 .270

Schebler cf 1 0 0 0 2 0 .176

Finnegan p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .500

Melville p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

a-Pacheco ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .250

Hayes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

B.Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

b-Barnhart ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333

Totals 25 0 0 0 4 6

 

Chicago 220 104 403 = 16 18 0

Cincinnati 000 000 000 = 0 0 1

 

a-grounded into a fielder’s choice for Melville in the 6th. b-popped out for B.Wood in the 9th.

E—Finnegan (1). LOB—Chicago 9, Cincinnati 2. 2B—Fowler (6), Soler (1), Zobrist (4). HR—Bryant (3), off Finnegan; Zobrist (1), off Finnegan; D.Ross (1), off Melville; Rizzo (5), off Melville; Bryant (4), off Hayes. RBIs—Fowler (11), Bryant 6 (13), Rizzo 3 (16), Szczur (6), Zobrist 3 (7), D.Ross (2).

Runners left in scoring position—Chicago 5 (Bryant 2, A.Russell 3); Cincinnati 1 (Suarez). RISP—Chicago 5 for 12; Cincinnati 0 for 1.

GIDP—Cozart.

DP—Chicago 1 (A.Russell, Zobrist, Rizzo).

 

Chicago (NL) IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Arrieta W, 4-0 9 0 0 0 4 6 119 0.87

 

Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Finnegan L, 1-1 4 7 5 5 2 2 75 3.74

Melville 2 5 4 4 2 1 49 11.00

Hayes 2 2 4 4 2 3 48 18.00

B.Wood 1 4 3 0 0 1 26 3.38

PB—Mesoraco.

Umpires—Home, Dana DeMuth; First, Greg Gibson; Second, Ed Hickox; Third, Mike Estabrook.

T—2:56. A—16,497 (42,319).