CHICAGO (AP) — J.D. Martinez, Francisco Alvarez and Brandon Nimmo homered against Shota Imanaga, and the New York Mets pounded the Chicago Cubs 11-1 on Friday.
Francisco Lindor had three hits and scored twice as New York won for the eighth time in nine games. Jose Iglesias went 4 for 5 with three RBIs.
The Mets became the first team to get a second look at Imanaga (7-2) during his impressive transition to the major leagues, and they tagged the Japanese left-hander for 10 runs and 11 hits in three-plus innings. Imanaga pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in a 1-0 victory at New York on May 1.
This time, the Mets scored three times before Imanaga recorded his first out. Lindor hit a leadoff double and Nimmo walked before Martinez hit a 412-foot drive to center for his ninth homer.
Alvarez led off the second with his second homer. With two out and Iglesias on first, Nimmo made it 6-1 when he hit an opposite-field shot for his 10th on the season.
Imanaga folded his arms across his chest after Nimmo’s homer reached the bleachers in left.
New York added four more in the fourth. Martinez chased Imanaga with an RBI single, and Iglesias capped the outburst with a two-run single off Hayden Wesneski.
Imanaga’s ERA ballooned from 1.89 to 2.96 after his shortest outing with Chicago so far. He surrendered two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his first 13 major league starts.
New York lefty Jose Quintana (3-5) pitched four-hit ball for 6 1/3 innings in his second straight win. He allowed one unearned run, struck out eight and walked one against one of his former teams.
The Cubs dropped to 3-4 on a nine-game homestand. Cody Bellinger had two of Chicago’s six hits.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: Manager Carlos Mendoza said RHP Dedniel Núñez was feeling better. He wasn’t available for Wednesday night’s 5-3 loss at Texas because of a sinus infection.
Cubs: RHP Ben Brown (neck strain) has started playing catch, but he hasn’t progressed to throwing off a mound. “We’re going to just increase activity as long as there’s no symptoms,” manager Craig Counsell said. “This could go pretty quickly here, but we’re also going to be careful of recreating symptoms.”
UP NEXT
Right-handers Tylor Megill (2-3, 3.52 ERA) and Jameson Taillon (3-3, 3.08 ERA) start on Saturday. Megill pitched five innings of two-run ball in New York’s 11-6 victory against San Diego last weekend. Taillon is 0-3 with a 4.34 ERA in his last seven starts for Chicago.
