The Chicago Cubs have been playing mid this season, with rookie Shota Imanaga as the exception.
However, the 30-year-old's brilliance was not present in their last game against the New York Mets as he was neutralized by the Metsies, keeping him at 30.00 ERA, 4.00 WHIP in three innings. This means his ERA for this season went from 1.89 to 2.96 quickly.
Three players scored against Imanaga before he sent a player out of the game.
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The Mets went on to win the game, 11-1, which was one of their most dominant performances in recent seasons.
It is the Cubs' second-worst loss this season after they were blanked by the Boston Red Sox, 0-17, last April.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza explained how they were able to leave Imanaga ineffective.
"We took his heater away," he told reporters after the match.
"We were ready for the fastball, and when we got pitches in the zone, especially with the fastballs, we were ready to go."
Mendoza previously said that his squad is starting to read and learn from its previous struggles, and this showed against the Cubs and Imanaga.
His team was the first to get a rematch against the sensational Japanese rookie.
Imanaga led his team to a 1-0 victory last May 1 when he pitched seven innings of three-hit ball.
It was not just Imanaga being neutralized that led the Mets to a dominant win.
Left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana (3-5) came out huge for the visitors as he pitched four-hit ball for 6 1/3 innings to record his second straight win. The Colombian pitcher allowed one unearned run, struck out eight, and walked one against one of his former teams.
Usual suspect Francisco Lindor contributed three hits and scored twice in the game, while Jose Iglesias went 4 for 5 with three RBIs.
Shota Imanaga gets honest about the Mets' performance
The Mets batters sent Imanaga crashing back to earth, but he sees this as a learning moment.
"Sometimes, when I am 100 percent, that's not enough," Imanaga said through an interpreter. "So I need to figure out unique ways to be better."
He also acknowledged how the Mets players were more prepared for him than their May meeting.
"I felt their lineup, when I faced them today, they are different," he explained, "and then how I felt against them the previous time and today was a little different. So I definitely felt like they made an adjustment."
The Mets continue to roll
The New York Mets continued to show they are a force to be reckoned with.
They have now improved to 36-38 this season, the closest they reached to .500 since May 13.
They are now 12-3 in their last 15 games, including a series win over the defending champions, the Texas Rangers, and a sweep of the San Diego Padres.
They are back in the hunt for a wild card spot, although they are still 13 games behind the Atlanta Braves, who hold the second spot in the NL East.
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