CHICAGO -- Shota Imanaga has risen to the occasion time and time again this season during a stellar start to his Major League career. His latest outing presented yet another unique challenge, but this time it was not Imanaga’s day.

Friday marked the first time Imanaga faced a team for a second time in the Major Leagues. Facing a red-hot Mets offense, the lefty allowed 10 runs on 11 hits, including three home runs, in three-plus innings, in an 11-1 Cubs loss at Wrigley Field.

It marked the most runs, hits and homers Imanaga has allowed, and his shortest outing through 14 Major League starts.

“He made some mistakes, and they jumped on them,” manager Craig Counsell said. “You just chalk it up to a bad day and go get them the next time.”

Imanaga’s start against the Mets at Citi Field on May 1 stands as one of his best so far this season. He threw seven scoreless innings and allowed just three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts.

The Mets have been one of the hottest-hitting teams in baseball, ranking third in the Major Leagues with a 138 wRC+ in June, entering Friday. Imanaga allowed three homers to the first 11 batters he faced.

That included a three-run blast by J.D. Martinez in the first inning, after Francisco Lindor’s leadoff double and Brandon Nimmo’s walk.

“I felt their lineup, when I faced them today, they were different,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “And then how I felt against them the previous time and today, it was a little different. So, I definitely felt like they made an adjustment.”

Counsell was asked before Friday’s game about how opponents have found success this season against Imanaga, who entered the day with a 1.89 ERA through 13 starts. His answer, in part, pointed to the moments when Imanaga’s four-seam fastball gets located down in the zone.

“When the intent of a pitch is somewhere, and it goes somewhere else, then the hitter feels it seems to be a little better,” Counsell said.

Imanaga throwing his four-seamer up in the zone in tandem with his splitter down has been a tough combination for hitters to solve this season. The three homers he allowed all came off the heater; Martinez homered on a four-seamer middle-in, Francisco Alvarez on one up in the zone and Nimmo on one down and away.

“I think they were ready for the fastball and ready for the breaking balls in the zone,” Imanaga said. “I made an adjustment towards that, but I felt like they made another adjustment on top of that.”

“We were ready for the fastball,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “And when we got pitches in the zone, especially with the fastball, we were ready to go."

Imanaga’s four-seamer velocity was also down on Friday. His season average entering the start was 91.8 mph, and he averaged 90.1 mph against the Mets. It’s part of a process that Imanaga said he also followed in his last start, relating to the intensity at which he throws early in games.

He turned in one of his strongest starts of the season in that outing last Saturday against the Cardinals, when he allowed one run on four hits in seven innings. His four-seamer averaged 91.1 mph that game, but the difference on Friday was that New York got to him before he could make the same adjustment.

“The previous start, my velo, I dropped it a little bit early on, on purpose,” Imanaga said. “And then towards the end, I bumped it up to like 92, 93. And so today was the same approach. But before I started adjusting my velo, they were hitting the ball.

“So I think moving forward, I just need to figure out what adjustments I need to make towards that and just go from there.”

The notion that each outing is another test for Imanaga to pass is unfair, certainly when factoring in the success he has had so far. But there is something he can take from each outing and carry with him.

Imanaga was asked what he can take away from an outing like Friday’s.

“Sometimes, when I give my 100 percent, that's not enough,” he said. “So I need to figure out unique ways to be better.”