Edward Cabrera is pitching like the Cubs' ace after flirting with a no-hitter Sunday

The Chicago Cubs had plenty of problems on Sunday, but the starting pitching wasn't among them. Shota Imanaga bounced back from an up-and-down season debut to fire five innings of one-run ball in the nightcap, but the bigger story was the dominance of Edward Cabrera - who is looking like a legitimate front-of-the-rotation arm after two starts.

Cabrera pitched into the sixth, tossing 5 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in a start that can be aptly labeled as 'effectively wild' given his five walks. The control could have been better, sure, but the right-hander got the job done and has allowed a total of two base hits in his first two starts, working to a 0.69 WHIP in 11 2/3 innings of work.

“His stuff’s so good -- we knew that,” Ian Happ said of his new teammate afterwards. “I thought Miggy did a great job behind the plate with what he was able to do. The pitch mix is so, so good. And when he’s around the strike zone, it’s diabolical. It was awesome to play behind him and watch that.”

The walks are going to be the make-or-break with Cabrera, but when you're literally not allowing hits, it's a lot easier to work around them. Now, this level of missing bats isn't going to be sustainable, but the early returns are certainly welcome regardless - especially as we await word on Cade Horton's status.

Cubs' pitching staff has seen its share of ups and downs in the early going

The bullpen certainly hasn't looked the part through the first week-plus (4.25 ERA ranks 21st in the league), but as we've seen time and time again, the Cubs' approach to rounding out the staff often takes a bit for the dust to settle and roles to be defined (not that it makes enduring it any more enjoyable).

At least, for now, everyone can take a deep breath about Owen Caissie in Miami and just enjoy what Cabrera is bringing to the starting rotation: a devastating arsenal that, even when he's not locating to the level we'd like to see, keeps opposing hitters off-balance and gives the Cubs a chance to win.