More from Jake Arrieta

Now that I've left the MASN set in the bullpen area and returned to the press box, I can pass along more quotes from Jake Arrieta. Arrieta completed a bullpen session today without experiencing any discomfort in his right elbow. "My side was pretty good," he said afterward while standing at his locker. "I was a little timid at first to let it go, but once we got loose, got stretched out pretty good, it felt close to normal. Breaking balls were good. What I really wanted to make sure I was able to do was throw my curveball and slider with some pretty good effort and I was able to do that pretty well. They were both sharp." Arrieta will throw about 50 pitches in Wednesday's bullpen session and aim for a Saturday start in Atlanta. "I think since I didn't pick up a ball for four days from Monday, it's probably a good idea to get two bullpens in before I make a start, just to kind of make sure I am full strength, which I think I am," he said. "It's just a matter of getting a 40, 50-pitch 'pen in before I go out there and throw 110 pitches." Arrieta is 9-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 16 starts this year. He left after five innings on Monday because of the discomfort, which was caused by inflammation in his elbow. Arrieta said he stopped doing the necessary treatments on a regular basis and taking anti-inflammatory medication because the elbow was feeling good, but he'll return to his normal routine. "It just sort of crept back up on me, so it's a matter of staying on top of it continuously day-to-day and making sure it doesn't come back like that," he said. "Pretty confident right now I'll be able to finish the year out on a high note." Waiting until next weekend to make his next start is simply a precaution. "It's not disappointing," he said. "I think it's better to be safe than sorry. I could go out there and start on Wednesday and not really be sure of how I feel in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, so I think getting two (bullpen sessions) in is exactly what we need to do, just to make sure I'm full bore ready to go. And be max effort and not be afraid to throw any of my pitches with full intensity."