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Imanaga (8-9) allowed one run on eight hits across five innings to earn the win in Wednesday's 7-6 victory over the Dodgers. He had no walks and struck out six.
Imanaga was challenged by a stout Los Angeles lineup, but he managed to scatter his eight hits allowed and mostly stay out of trouble. The only damage against the lefty came on a Shohei Ohtani leadoff home run. Imanaga continued his strong recent play, as he's allowed no more than two earned runs in any of his last five starts, and he's posted a 25:3 K:BB across 29.2 innings during that span. He'll carry a solid 3.60 ERA and 1.09 WHIP into his next appearance, which is currently scheduled to come next Wednesday on the road against another tough lineup in Washington.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Takes tough loss Friday
Rotowire
Imanaga (7-9) was saddled with the loss Friday as the Cubs fell 2-0 to the Yankees, allowing two runs on four hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.
Both runs off Imanaga came on solo shots by Amed Rosario in the fourth inning and Spencer Jones in the fifth, and the Chicago offense never got off the mat against Will Warren and the New York bullpen. It was Imanaga's third straight quality start and 10th of the season, and he's gone six straight outings without being tagged for more than two runs -- a stretch in which he's delivered a 1.77 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 31:6 K:BB over 35.2 innings. The veteran southpaw faces another tough test in his next start, which is set to come at home next week against the Dodgers.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Start pushed to Friday
Rotowire
Imanaga is no longer listed as the Cubs' starting pitcher for Thursday's game in St. Louis and will instead take the hill Friday versus the Yankees at Wrigley Field, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Imanaga isn't dealing with any known injury, so the Cubs' decision to push him back a day simply appears to be a measure to give him and the other members of the Cubs rotation some extra rest. Javier Assad will move from the bullpen to make a start Thursday, sliding into the rotation spot that previously belonged to Jameson Taillon.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Strong again in win
Rotowire
Imanaga (7-8) earned the win against the Pirates on Saturday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four over six scoreless innings.
Imanaga outdueled Paul Skenes, keeping the Pirates off the board despite generating only six swinging strikes on 84 pitches. Per John Perrotto of MLB.com, Imanaga has allowed just one run over 38 career innings against the Pirates. The southpaw has now thrown back-to-back scoreless outings and has limited opponents to two earned runs or fewer in seven of his past eight starts dating back to June 10. He'll carry a 3.72 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 113:29 K:BB across 121 innings this season into a road matchup with the Cardinals next week.
Imanaga (6-8) earned the win Sunday against the Twins, allowing six hits and one walk while striking out four over seven scoreless innings.
Imanaga threw 63 of his 99 pitches for strikes and kept Minnesota's lineup in check throughout the afternoon. Chicago's offense gave him plenty of breathing room with 10 runs over the first four innings, but the left-hander still turned in his fourth scoreless outing of the season. After enduring a rough four-start stretch in late May that saw him post a 10.80 ERA, Imanaga has bounced back with a 2.31 ERA across his last seven starts. The southpaw is lined up to face the Pirates on the road in his next outing.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Tough-luck loss vs. Cincinnati
Rotowire
Imanaga (5-8) took the loss against the Reds on Friday, allowing one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out five across five innings.
Imanaga allowed at least one baserunner in each of the first four innings he pitched, but he did just enough to keep the Reds off the board. That scoreless effort came to an end on an Elly De La Cruz solo homer in the fifth, and while that was the only run Imanaga gave up Friday, he was still tagged with the loss as his Cubs teammates failed to score a run. Imanaga went through a rough patch from mid-May to early June, but he's given up two earned runs or less in five of his last six outings, posting a 2.81 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 32 innings in that span. He enters the All-Star break with a 4.17 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 105:27 K:BB across 108 innings.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Mixed bag in seventh loss
Rotowire
Imanaga (5-7) took the loss Saturday against the Cardinals, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out eight.
Imanaga had plenty of swing-and-miss stuff going, fanning eight and generating 16 whiffs, but he was still inefficient with 86 pitches on the evening. Saturday disrupted a seven-start streak of at least five innings for the 32-year-old left-hander, who also tied a season high in walks. Imanaga is next lined up for a relatively tough assignment at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, holding a 4.28 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 100:26 K:BB over 103 innings.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Works around nine hits for QS
Rotowire
Imanaga allowed two runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out four batters over 6.1 innings in a no-decision against San Diego on Monday.
The nine hits he allowed tied a season-worst mark for Imanaga, but he mostly dodged damage and gave up just two runs. The southpaw got 13 whiffs and threw 67 of 97 pitches for strikes while completing six frames for the first time over his past four starts. Imanaga has had an up-and-down June, allowing four or more runs twice and two or fewer runs three times. Overall, he holds a 4.30 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 92:23 K:BB across 98.1 frames spanning 17 starts.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Grabs fifth win
Rotowire
Imanaga (5-6) earned the win Wednesday against the Mets, allowing four runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four over 5.1 innings.
All four runs Imanaga allowed came via the long ball, as Francisco Alvarez, A.J. Ewing and Mark Vientos each took the left-hander deep. Wednesday continued a troubling trend in which he has surrendered three or more home runs in four of his last six starts. Fortunately for Imanaga, Chicago's offense provided plenty of run support, allowing him to pick up his first victory since May 7. Entering Wednesday, the 32-year-old had posted a 6.64 ERA in his previous seven starts, losing four of them. He'll carry a 4.40 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 88:23 K:BB into his next scheduled outing, which is expected to come during a series against the Padres next week.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Cubs-Mets postponed Monday
Rotowire
Imanaga won't make his scheduled start Monday versus the Mets after the game was postponed due to inclement weather in New York, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Wednesday. Imanaga has now had starts postponed for two consecutive days, as the Cubs' home game Sunday versus the Blue Jays was also rained out. The southpaw will now take the ball during one of the doubleheader games Wednesday, as the Cubs will stick with Edward Cabrera as their scheduled starter Tuesday, per Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Imanaga won't start as scheduled Sunday against the Blue Jays after the game was postponed due to inclement weather in Chicago.
The two teams will make up the game Aug. 6. Imanaga has given up just one run across 10.2 frames in his past two starts and will get at least one more day of rest before his next appearance. The Cubs seem likely to push their entire rotation back one day as a result of the postponement, so the Japanese lefty will presumably start Monday's series opener against the Mets in New York.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Solid in no-decision
Rotowire
Imanaga did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over 5.2 innings against Colorado. He struck out three.
Imanaga kept Colorado off the board through the first five frames before departing with two outs in the sixth inning after throwing 85 pitches (62 strikes). One of the two runners he left aboard eventually came around to score as Phil Maton closed out the frame. Monday marked a second consecutive solid outing for Imanaga after a four-start stretch in which he surrendered 26 runs across 21.2 innings. Overall, the southpaw owns a 4-6 record with a 4.26 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 84:22 K:BB across 86.2 innings (15 starts). His next outing is tentatively scheduled for Sunday against Toronto.
Imanaga allowed two hits and two walks while striking out seven over five scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Rockies on Wednesday.
Imanaga came into this start with 14 homers allowed over his last six games, but he was able to keep the ball down in the Colorado altitude. It wasn't enough to snap his winless stretch, which is now at six starts, but this was a good palette cleanser after his recent rough patch. The southpaw now has a 4.44 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 81:21 K:BB through 81 innings over 14 starts this season. Imanaga will look to continue his turnaround in a rematch with the Rockies in Chicago in his next start.
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Tagged for four homers Thursday
Rotowire
Imanaga allowed six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five batters over six-plus innings in a no-decision against the Athletics on Thursday.
Imanaga came into Thursday having lost each of his past four starts, and while that streak ended due to a late Chicago comeback, the lefty hurler didn't exactly bust out of his slump. The A's got to Imanaga for four long balls, including back-to-back homers to begin the seventh inning before the Cubs ace was given the hook. Imanaga has struggled mightily with keeping the ball in the park of late, as he's surrendered 12 home runs across his past four starts spanning 21.2 frames. For context, prior to that four-game stretch, he had served up just five homers across 54.1 innings. It may be difficult for Imanaga to keep the ball in the park in his next outing, as he's lined up for a road tilt in the Denver altitude against the Rockies.
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