Last night’s start had to have been exactly what Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs envisioned when they made their blockbuster deal for Edward Cabrera. The 27-year-old starting pitcher made his highly anticipated Cubs debut at Wrigley Field against the Los Angeles Angels, and he did not disappoint. Cabrera treated the Wrigley faithful to six stellar shutout innings on the way to a 7-2 Cubs victory.

It was all working for Cabrera

You could tell from the first inning that it was Cabrera’s night on the mound. He wasted no time recording his first strikeout as a Cub, finishing off outfielder Mike Trout with a curveball on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. In total, Cabrera struck out five batters, including the final two batters he faced. It was safe to say the right-hander had his swing-and-miss stuff working, inducing 15 whiffs on 40 swings.

Cabrera was nearly unhittable throughout his start, allowing just two baserunners. He lost third baseman Yoan Moncada on a four-pitch walk in the top of the second inning and surrendered his only hit, a lonely single, to first baseman Nolan Schanuel in the top of the fourth inning. The Angels could not figure out Cabrera and struggled to generate any hard contact off him.

All in all, there were a lot of encouraging signs from Cabrera. He was incredibly efficient, throwing just 80 pitches, 49 of them for strikes, on his way to a quality start. He also fared well in the elements at Wrigley with the wind blowing out, giving up no damage, where other pitchers struggled.

A glimpse into the future

While it was just his first start of many for the Cubs this season, it was important to see Cabrera deliver. This potential is why the Cubs were confident in acquiring him and dealing away outfielder Owen Caissie to the Miami Marlins in the offseason. If he pitches like that consistently, the Cubs could have a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Cade Horton and Cabrera. And if Horton and Cabrera’s first starts of the season are any indication of their potential and what they’re capable of, that’s a 1-2 punch no one is going to want to see come October.