The Chicago Cubs are running out of time, and Shōta Imanaga’s latest stumble only sharpens the pressure.
On Sunday, the left-hander was tagged in a 7-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, giving up six runs over five innings and allowing three home runs. Hector Rodriguez broke things open with a three-run shot in the fourth, and the fifth inning turned even uglier with a solo homer from Dane Myers and a two-run blast by Tyler Stephenson.
That outing continued a troubling pattern. Imanaga has now allowed at least one homer in six straight starts, and over that span he has a 5.22 ERA while giving up 11 home runs in 29.1 innings. The game also put him in the record book, as Sunday night marked a new MLB mark for a left-handed pitcher with the most games allowing three or more home runs.
The concern for Chicago isn’t just one bad night. It’s the way this has started to look familiar.
Imanaga has now gone through a second straight season in which he opened strong before fading hard in the summer. Home runs have always been part of the package, but after getting away with it in 2024, the issue has become impossible to ignore.
Still, there are numbers that suggest the Cubs aren’t dealing with a pitcher completely falling apart. Imanaga’s strikeout rate sits at 24%, he has a 35% chase rate and a 29.2% whiff rate, and his hard-hit rate is 36.1%.
Those figures are all at or above the 67th percentile. His 5.7 BB% is even better, ranking in the 91st percentile.
But the warning signs are piling up anyway. The barrel rate is a problem, the fastball velocity is slipping, and the home runs are climbing again, just as they did in the second half of last season.
After the loss, Craig Counsell still backed his starter and said Imanaga’s place in the rotation remains secure. That said, the Cubs’ options are thinning.
Ben Brown is back after his latest setback, Justin Steele would only be used in short bullpen bursts if he returns this year, and Edward Cabrera has already been removed from the rotation. That leaves Chicago with a simple choice over the rest of the regular season: get Imanaga back on track or lean on Javier Assad in September.
And with the Cubs no longer having much wiggle room in the Wild Card race, and little realistic hope of catching the division, the stakes on these starts are only getting bigger. That’s why Imanaga’s leash has become such a real question now.
In Other News...
Shelby Miller Suddenly Looks Like A Bigger Cubs Bullpen Concern
Shelby Millers rehab has become a little more complicated than the Cubs likely wanted at this stage. After being pulled from a minor-league outing once he hit a 15-pitch limit, he did not appear in either of the next two scheduled games, a pause that only adds to the sense that Chicago is moving carefully with a bullpen arm it has been trying to build back up.
The Cubs have already made clear they want Miller to show he can handle back-to-back days before they consider him truly ready, which makes every missed appearance worth watching. An update is expected after the roster expansion period begins, and until then his progress remains one of the quieter but more important bullpen storylines for a club trying to get its relief mix in order. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Just Turned Wrigley Nostalgia Into A Debate Fans Wont Ignore
The Cubs are leaning hard into Wrigley Field nostalgia with a new scripted romantic comedy mini-series, Nine Inning to Love, set to run in 17 short episodes on the teams TikTok page. The project centers on two Cubs fans whose relationship starts to take shape during a game at Wrigley, and the team has already rolled out a trailer filled with Cubs apparel and familiar ballpark scenes.
For a franchise that has long traded on the charm of Wrigley and the way baseball can spill into the rest of life, the concept fits the brand neatly. It also puts the Cubs in a different kind of spotlight, one that blends team marketing, social media and fan culture in a way that is likely to get plenty of attention before the full series begins unfolding online. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Give New Call-Up A Real Chance To Help Right Away
The Cubs are giving BJ Murray an immediate opportunity after promoting him from Triple-A and adding him to the active roster for the matchup with the Brewers. Murray, a switch-hitter with the ability to move around the field, is in line to make his major league debut against Milwaukee and gives Chicago another flexible option as it tries to piece together offense and depth.
Murray is expected to fill the designated hitter spot against left-hander Robert Gasser, a clear sign the Cubs want to see what he can do right away in a meaningful role. Chicago also added right-handed reliever Tyler Ferguson to the active roster, another move that bolsters the bullpen while the club continues to sort out its roster on the fly. [Read more 🡒]