Chicago Cubs: Jose Quintana still has more to prove

Chicago Cubs: Unimpressive innings per start plagued Quintana

Quintana hasn’t been bad, by any means, but he also hasn’t been good either. After an impressive Cubs debut in 2017 against the Baltimore Orioles where he struck out 12 batters and only surrendered three hits, the spark of that performance has faded and seemed to have become a distant memory as his lack of consistency has haunted his short time as a Cub.

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He has been unable to show that he can remain consistent for long stretches and always seems to be up-and-down in every other performance. His inconsistency is a chip on his shoulder that he must rid himself of in order to have fans truly accept and agree with the price of that crosstown deal.

While inconsistent, his reliability is something that has been commendable. In a season that was ridden with injuries, Quintana remained a constant on the field despite battling with a shoulder injury of his own (that chip seems to be weighing heavy). When Jon Lester trended downward after the All-Star Break, Q posted a 2.92 ERA over 49 1/3 innings.

That stretch saved Quintana’s season in the eyes of many, finally showing a hint of consistency.

However, he needs to pitch near this throughout the course of the entire season if he doesn’t want to be a punchline in what may become a regrettable trade and, more importantly, if the Cubs hope to once again go deep into the postseason.

Quintana’s deepest outing of the year saw him pitch just seven innings – which he accomplished on two separate occasions. This was most likely due to his inability to avoid giving up timely home runs. The rest of his starts are sprinkled with four, five and six-inning appearances.

He needs to become the guy who can take the mound and control the game deep into the late innings.

Chicago Cubs: Unimpressive innings per start plagued Quintana

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