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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
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.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Bounces back in no-decision
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Tough-luck loss vs. Atlanta
Rotowire
Imanaga (4-3) took the loss against Atlanta on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out six across seven innings. He did not issue a walk.
Drake Baldwin smacked a solo home run in the fourth inning, which was the only run Imanaga gave up through seven innings. Imanaga returned to the mound for the eighth but was pulled after giving up an infield single, and he was tagged for another run after Phil Maton served up an RBI double to Mike Yastrzemski to give Atlanta the lead for good. All six of Imanaga's quality starts this year have come over his last seven outings, and his overall WHIP of 0.90 (across 54.1 innings) is tied for fourth best in the National League among qualified starters. His next start is slated to be a home matchup against the Brewers.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Strikes out 10 in win
Rotowire
Imanaga (4-2) earned the win Thursday over the Reds, allowing a run on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out 10.
It was another strong showing from Imanaga, who logged double-digit strikeouts for the second time this season while holding Cincinnati scoreless until Sal Stewart led off the sixth inning with a homer. Imanaga has allowed just one run over 13 innings in his last two starts, lowering his ERA to 2.28 on the year with a 0.93 WHIP and 53 strikeouts across eight outings (47.1 innings). Imanaga is currently in line to face Atlanta on the road his next time out.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Delivers another gem
Rotowire
Imanaga (1-1) earned the win, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out 11 over six innings in Wednesday's victory over the Phillies.
Imanaga gave up a leadoff homer to Trea Turner on just the second pitch of the game, but he was nearly untouchable the rest of the way. The left-hander settled in and went on to record multiple strikeouts in five separate innings, overpowering Philadelphia's lineup. His 11 punchouts tied a career high, and he generated an eye-popping 26 whiffs in one of the most dominant starts of his career. Imanaga has looked absolutely fantastic over his last two outings, striking out 20 while allowing just one run across 12 innings. Chicago's ace is slated to face Philadelphia again in his next start, this time back at Wrigley Field.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Cubs-Guardians postponed
Rotowire
Imanaga won't start as scheduled Saturday against the Guardians, as the game was postponed due to rain, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
The two teams will play a doubleheader Sunday to make up Saturday's game, and Imanaga will take the mound during the nightcap, per Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network. The 32-year-old southpaw will be looking to bounce back from a poor showing in his season debut, during which he allowed four earned runs on six hits and two walks over five innings.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Velocity up in spring debut
Rotowire
Imanaga allowed three hits across two scoreless innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Padres. He struck out one.
Making his spring debut, Imanaga looked sharp as he logged 33 pitches. Most notably, his fastball velocity was 93 mph on average in the contest, which is up from last season's 90.8 mph average, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. This supports reports coming out of camp about increased velocity for Imanaga. It remains to be seen if this is just a blip for the southpaw in a short start or something he can actually sustain throughout the year. If Imanaga can regularly throw harder, he might be able to improve upon last season's 7.3 K/9, which was down from the 9.0 K/9 he recorded during his 2024 rookie campaign.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Working on pitch mix in camp
Rotowire
Imanaga is working on his pitch repertoire in spring training, including tweaking his sweeper and sinker grips and adding a cutter, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Chicago pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said the goal is to help Imanaga throw his sweeper from his "natural arm slot." With the sinker, they want to find a grip that helps the pitcher maintain velocity. Imanaga is also working to reintroduce a cutter after not throwing the pitch last season. The 32-year-old primarily used his four-seam fastball and splitter in 2025, and after a strong start to the year that resembled his stellar 2024 rookie campaign, he stumbled down the stretch to finish the regular season with a 3.73 ERA. Imanaga will aim to get back on track with his revamped pitch mix, and he makes for an intriguing fantasy option with some bounce-back appeal.
... See More... See Less
Shota Imanaga: Enters free-agent market
Rotowire
The Cubs declined Imanaga's three-year, $57.75 million option Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
The team deciding against picking up Imanaga's three-year option triggered a $15.25 million player option, which the pitcher also declined, making Imanaga a free agent. It's unclear whether the Cubs intend to make the southpaw a one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer. Imanaga held a 4.70 second-half ERA and 8.10 ERA in two postseason starts, and his strikeout rate dipped to 20.6 percent in 2025. However, with a 3.28 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 291:54 K:BB over 318 regular-season innings since the beginning of the 2024 campaign, Imanaga will draw plenty of interest on the free-agent market.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Saddled with loss in Game 2
Rotowire
Imanaga took the loss Monday in Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Brewers after allowing four runs on five hits while striking out three over 2.2 innings.
Imanaga was hit hard in his second appearance of the postseason, immediately squandering a three-run lead in the bottom of the first inning courtesy of a three-run home run by Andrew Vaughn. Imanaga's outing didn't improve much after this initial blow, as William Contreras struck for a solo shot in the bottom of the third, effectively ending the left-hander's outing. The silver lining to Imanaga's brief start is that he kept his pitch count low, meaning he could have a chance to come back later in the series if the Cubs are able to extend the NLDS.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Allows two runs in Game 2
Rotowire
Imanaga gave up two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three batters over four relief innings during Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Padres. He did not factor into the decision.
The left-hander entered the game in the second inning after opener Andrew Kittredge allowed the Padres to score a run in the first. Imanaga made it through three frames before conceding a two-run blast to Manny Machado in the fifth, which gave the Padres more insurance than it needed while the Cubs' offense struggled to put a rally together. If Chicago prevails in Thursday's win-or-go-home matchup, Imanaga would likely be in the running to pitch in Game 3 of the NLDS next Wednesday.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Lit up in loss
Rotowire
Imanaga (9-8) allowed eight runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out three over 5.2 innings to take the loss Thursday versus the Mets.
Imanaga had one of his worst starts of the year in his regular-season finale. He had not given up more than three earned runs in any of his last 10 starts, pitching to a decent 3.69 ERA over 61 innings in that span. The southpaw ends the regular season at a 3.73 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 117:26 K:BB across 144.2 innings through 25 starts. Imanaga will likely get a start during the Cubs' wild-card series, as he will be on regular rest as of Tuesday.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Settles for no-decision Friday
Rotowire
Imanaga allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits across five innings and did not factor into the decision in Friday's 7-4 loss to the Reds. He walked two and struck out four.
Imanaga was done in by the long ball, as he served up solo home runs to Miguel Andujar, Matt McLain and Spencer Steer. The lefty has now allowed exactly three earned runs in five straight starts, and he has a 4.66 ERA during that stretch. Overall, Imanaga has a 3.37 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 7.4 K/9 across 139 innings this season. The strikeouts are a step back from last year, when the 30-year-old rookie posted a 9.0 K/9. Imanaga is slated to wrap up his 2025 regular season next Friday against the Cardinals before slotting into Chicago's postseason rotation, potentially as the team's Game 1 starter.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Fans nine, tying season high
Rotowire
Imanaga didn't factor into the decision against the Rays on Sunday, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out nine over five innings.
The left-hander got off to a rough start, surrendering back-to-back solo homers to Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero to open the game before giving up another run on a two-out bunt in the third. Though he labored through a 31-pitch first inning and surpassed 60 pitches by the third, Imanaga was able to regroup, finding his command and striking out nine -- tying his season high -- while blanking Tampa Bay over his final two frames. Home runs remain a concern for the 32-year-old, who allowed 27 last season and has given up 26 this year through 39 fewer innings. Imanaga will carry a 3.29 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 110:23 K:BB across 134 innings into his next scheduled start against the Reds.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Another quality start in loss
Rotowire
Imanaga (9-7) took the loss Monday against Atlanta, allowing three runs on five hits and no walks in six innings. He struck out four.
That's now seven consecutive quality starts for Imanaga, who also issued no walks for the first time since his Aug. 10 outing in St. Louis. The star left-hander has allowed fewer than six hits in eight straight appearances, and he's worked to a 3.13 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 38:6 K:BB over 46 frames since the beginning of August. Imanaga also has a 3.21 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 101:23 K:BB over 129 innings for the campaign, and he's next set to face a Rays team with a poor .655 OPS versus left-handed pitching since the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Gets back on track vs. Reds
Rotowire
Imanaga didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Reds, allowing one run on three hits and no walks in 6.1 innings. He struck out seven.
After giving up 10 runs over his prior two starts, Imanaga rediscovered his top form Tuesday. It was the fourth time in his last six outings that the star left-hander pitched at least six innings while yielding two runs or fewer, and the seven strikeouts were only one short of the season high that he set his last time out in Milwaukee. Imanaga sports a 3.12 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 70:17 K:BB across 89.1 frames, and he's set to face a tough test next week in Toronto against the first-place Blue Jays.
