Written by Jesse Rogers at ESPN.com
It might be premature to call the trade for Jose Quintana a complete success already, but if Sunday is any indication, the Chicago Cubs have found a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.
Quintana was outstanding in striking out 12 Baltimore Orioles over seven innings while surrendering only three hits without issuing a walk. His performance propelled the Cubs to an 8-0 win and a series sweep.
“It really could be a big boon to us,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said after the win. “All the other starters saw it. We grabbed a lead, and then he pitched really well with that lead. There was no messing around with it. There were no walks, no bad counts. He did everything really well.”
Quintana had movement on all his pitches, especially his curveball. The 12 strikeouts were one off his career high, and combined with his 10 strikeouts in his previous start for the Chicago White Sox before the trade, he joined Randy Johnson as the only pitchers since 1900 to record double-digit strikeouts for two teams within the same season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“I just tried to hit my spots,” the low-key Quintana said. “This one is special for me. First one with the Cubs. I’m really happy.”
The Cubs are happy too. After giving up two highly touted prospects for Quintana, a lot is riding on his left arm. By all measures, the defending champions underachieved in the first half but have come out on fire since the All-Star break, outscoring the Orioles 27-11 in three games.
“I think we are back,” Cubs catcher Willson Contreras declared. “We are back to where we were last year.”
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