Cubs Lose 11-1 as 'Grimace Effect' Continues for Mets

Shota Imanaga turned in a rare clunker for the Chicago Cubs on Friday as the dominant lefty was hit hard by the New York Mets. While he didn't do his offense any favors, they did little to inspire either.

The Cubs aren't a very good team right now. The only consistency they've shown has been bouts of uninspiring performances. If the pitching is doing its job, the offense goes dormant — and vice versa.

Among the many problems the North Siders face, it's a positive sign the team is addressing its catching deficiency with the addition of Tomas Nido .

Tale of the Tape

The power of Grimace continues to provide a spark for the Mets, who are suddenly hot on the Cubs' heels in the National League wild-card standings. If they take the weekend series, they'll cause problems as another team for Chicago to track down.

New York made a statement in attacking Shota Imanaga early and often on Friday. It got ugly fast as the Mets came out swinging in the first inning with a double, walk, and a home run from veteran JD Martinez to make it 3-0 before Imanaga recorded an out.

Knowing this season's Cubs, it was safe to assume they were unlikely to take a lead. Imanaga made sure of it as he lasted only three innings and allowed a career-high 10 earned runs . It wasn't his day on the mound, and those struggles were reflected throughout the entire lineup.

Former Cub Jose Quintana was lights out as the Cubs scratched out an unearned run across in the bottom of the first but did nothing else on the afternoon. Through 6.1 innings, Quintana fanned eight Cubs and allowed no earned runs.

The game was pretty much over by the fifth inning with the Mets pushing in one more run off of Hayden Wesneski. As the game got out of reach, Dansby Swanson's day on the diamond was cut short. Dealing with injuries all season, it may not have been smart to tempt fate any further.

Takeaways

For the Cubs, it was another one of those disappointing days, one that bears a reminder that the current roster isn't good enough to go on any kind of run. It's sad because the Cubs have plenty of openings to capitalize on a weak National League.

All it takes is for one team to get hot, and it appears that the Mets are seizing the opportunity while the Cubs appear content with being left in their dust.

With Mike Tauchman injured, the Cubs are without a major offensive contributor. Among a crop of underwhelming hitters, Tauchman has been one of the most productive bats. The North Siders' 2024 outlook has been bleak for a while, but Friday's loss sunk it to a new level.

What's On Tap Next?

Looking to get the bad taste out of their mouths, the Cubs will try to even the series on Saturday when Jameson Taillon takes the mound against Mets' righty Tylor Megill. First pitch is at 1:20 PM CDT and the game will air on Marquee Sports Network and FS1.

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