Three days after leaving the Chicago White Sox for the Cubs, Jose Quintana dominated the Baltimore Orioles in his first start with the North Siders on Sunday.
Quintana went seven innings, allowing three hits and no runs with 12 strikeouts, picking up the victory.
It was Quintana’s third 10+ strikeout appearance of the season, the most recent one coming in his final start with the White Sox on July 8.
José Quintana: first pitcher to throw 7+ scoreless innings in #Cubs debut since Ryan O'Malley on August 16, 2006.
— Alex Mayer (@alexmayer34) July 16, 2017
He also tied a Cubs franchise record by recording 12 strikeouts in his debut. The last Cubs player to do that? Matt Garza.
Baltimore had no hits off of Quintana until the fourth inning, when Adam Jones picked up a double to left field that bounced into the seats. This was also his first start since June 22 in which he didn’t walk any batters.
This is the latest in a string of strong performances for the 6-foot-1 lefty. Including Sunday, he has a 1.09 WHIP since June 6, with a 2.30 ERA over the same period.
Baltimore hasn’t been a pleasant sight for Quintana throughout much of his career. While with the White Sox, Quintana was 1-4 with a 4.29 ERA. On May 7, he allowed four runs in just five innings in a White Sox loss at Camden Yards.
The Cubs’ newest starter worked efficiently, throwing 100 pitches against 24 batters. His control was arguably the most impressive part of his start, controlling the zone with a variety of pitches and limiting hard contact from Orioles hitters.
Quintana’s next projected start is July 22 versus the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field and he’s currently set for a game against his former team at U.S. Cellular Field on July 27.
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