On May 1, Shu014dta Imanaga, the scintillating rookie who not only has been garnering NL Rookie of the Year hype, but Cy Young hype as well, turned in perhaps the best start of his major league career against the Mets. The Cubs’ sensation hurled seven shutout innings, scattering three hits and striking out seven Mets to pick up his fifth win in his sixth big league start.
Over his first 13 starts, he had never faced a team twice, until today when he took the hill at Wrigley Field against the Mets. It’s hard to say for sure whether that contributed to the Mets erupting for ten earned runs over three-plus innings against Imanaga, but New York’s bats looked considerably more comfortable against the left-hander than they did back on May 1.