Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Settles for no-decision vs. Dodgers
Rotowire
Imanaga didn't factor into the decision against the Dodgers on Tuesday after allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out six.
The star left-hander was working against a vaunted Dodgers lineup and also the wind blowing out toward center field, but he fared well for the most part in spite of the difficult circumstances. Tommy Edman's first-inning three-run jack carried a bit into deep center field, but Gage Workman's fielding error earlier in the frame meant all three runs were unearned. Imanaga tied a career high with three homers allowed Tuesday, but he'll carry a strong 2.38 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB across 34 innings into a much softer matchup against the Pirates in his next scheduled start. As a team, Pittsburgh entered Tuesday ranked 28th in MLB in slugging percentage (.320).
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Fans seven in no-decision
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Imanaga came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-inning win over the Padres, giving up one unearned run on four hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out seven.
After escaping jams in the third and fourth innings, Imanaga's luck ran out in the fifth when both Kyle Tucker and Gage Workman dropped pop flies in foul territory, giving Manny Machado a third life which he used to launch a solo homer. It was the only blemish on the southpaw's line, as he tossed 64 of 93 pitches for strikes before exiting. Imanaga will take a 2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 21:10 K:BB through 28.1 innings over five starts into his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Dodgers.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Takes first loss
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Imanaga (2-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Rangers, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out four.
It was a tough day for Imanaga, who allowed a solo home run to Corey Seager in the first inning before he was tagged for a four-spot in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run Jonah Heim homer. Imanaga had been rolling to start the year, allowing just two runs through his first 18.1 innings coming into the day while posting a 0.71 WHIP. The left-hander's ERA now sits at 2.70 following his first loss. Imanaga will look to get back on track in his next outing, tentatively lined up for next week in San Diego.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Dazzles in win
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Imanaga (2-0) earned the win against the Padres on Friday, allowing one run on four hits and no walks with four strikeouts over 7.1 innings.
Imanaga gave up a solo homer in the third inning but mostly baffled the Padres, delivering their first loss of the season. He pounded the zone, firing strikes on 68 of 91 pitches while generating 13 whiffs. The 31-year-old has been fantastic so far in 2025, posting a 0.98 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 10:6 K:BB across 18.1 innings. He'll aim to keep the momentum going against the Rangers next week.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Tosses four scoreless in opener
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Imanaga didn't factor in the decision Tuesday against the Dodgers in Tokyo after he struck out two and allowed no hits and four walks over four scoreless innings.
The left-hander didn't allow a hit while pitching in his home country of Japan, but Los Angeles still generated some opportunities with patience at the plate. Imanaga threw 43 of 69 pitches for strikes and induced 12 whiffs, so the stuff was good even though it didn't result in strikeouts. After posting a 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 174:28 K:BB over 173.1 innings as an MLB rookie last year, the 31-year-old produced a quality outing to begin 2025 despite a limited workload.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Missing bats this spring
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Imanaga -- who will start Tuesday's opener against the Dodgers in Tokyo -- has allowed seven runs with a 13:2 K:BB over 11 Cactus League innings this spring.
Imanaga has served up three home runs but has been elite in terms of his K:BB, which essentially sums up what he did during his rookie season with the Cubs, as well. The left-hander faces a tall task in going up against the Dodgers' lineup in his first outing of the season. Imanaga threw 75 pitches in his last Cactus League start a week ago, so he should be available for 85-to-90 or so pitches Tuesday.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: To pitch in Tokyo
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Imanaga will start one of the first two games of the season when the Cubs face the Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
This was hardly a surprise, but manager Craig Counsell provided confirmation Sunday. Imanaga, who is 31, logged a 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 173.1 innings last regular season.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Silences Nationals in 15th win
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Imanaga (15-3) allowed six hits and struck out four without walking a batter over seven shutout innings to earn the win over the Nationals on Sunday.
Imanaga is up to 15 wins, and he's secured a victory in each of his last six starts, all of which have been quality. In that span, he's allowed just 10 runs over 40 innings (2.25 ERA) despite yielding seven home runs. Imanaga lowered his ERA to 2.91 with a 1.02 WHIP and 174:28 K:BB through 173.1 innings over 29 starts this season. The 31-year-old southpaw is tentatively projected to conclude his first major-league season with a home start versus the Reds.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Strikes out 11 in win
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Imanaga (14-3) got the win Monday against the A's, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out 11 over six innings.
Imanaga recorded another quality start Monday and set a new career high for strikeouts in the process. It was Imanaga's 18th quality start of the season, which ties him with Chris Sale and Aaron Nola for third most in the National League. The 31-year-old rookie now has three starts this season of 10 or more strikeouts, and all three have come after the All-Star break. Imanaga has a 3.03 ERA and 1.03 WHIP through 166.1 innings this season.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Picks up 10th win
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Imanaga (10-3) got the victory Saturday in a 14-2 win against the Marlins. He allowed two runs on four hits in six innings, walking two and fanning three batters.
Imanaga was sharp once again Saturday, going at least seven innings for the seventh time this season. The three strikeouts were his fewest in any of those starts of seven-plus innings, however. The 30-year-old rookie has been as steady as they come for the Cubs with a 3.08 ERA and 1.06 across 140.1 innings this season.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Allows 10 hits in no-decision
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Imanaga did not factor into the decision in a win over the Cardinals on Thursday, allowing four runs on 10 hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out seven.
Imanaga coughed a solo homer to Paul Goldschmidt in the opening frame before settling in and holding the Cardinals scoreless over the next five innings. However, he began to unravel in the seventh, allowing a one-out single, followed by a two-run shot off the bat of Masyn Winn as St. Louis jumped out in front. The lefty was then relieved by Jorge Lopez with two outs in the frame and went on to be charged with a fourth run, marking the first time he's surrendered more than three runs in his last six starts. Imanaga gave up 10 hits on the night, the second most he's allowed in a game this season, and served up multiple home runs for only the fourth time on the campaign. On a positive note, he hasn't issued a walk in back-to-back outings and hasn't issued multiple walks since June 27 against the Giants (span of five starts).
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Strikes out eight in quality start
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Imanaga allowed three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings in a no-decision versus the Phillies.
Imanaga held his own versus a tough opponent, though he allowed home runs to Rafael Marchan and Alec Bohm. This was Imanaga's fourth quality start in his last five outings, the exception being a 10-run anomaly facing the Mets on June 21. The southpaw is now at a 3.16 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 92:15 K:BB through 91 innings over 16 starts this season. He's projected for another challenging opponent next week when he's lined up to for a road start in Baltimore.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Start moved to Thursday
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Manager Craig Counsell said that Imanaga will make his next start in Thursday's series finale in San Francisco, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Imanaga had previously been in line to start Wednesday, but he'll get an extra day to rest up after he was lit up for 10 earned runs in just three innings during his most recent outing Friday against the Mets. Despite his awful performance Friday, the 30-year-old southpaw has still been strong overall with a 2.96 ERA and 1.10 WHIP alongside an 81:12 K:BB through 79 innings over 14 starts. Counsell didn't name a replacement starter for Wednesday, though he noted a bullpen game is the most likely course of action.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Fans eight in no-decision
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Imanaga did not factor into the decision Monday against Atlanta, allowing seven hits and three walks over five shutout innings. He struck out eight.
With his five shutout frames Monday, Imanaga shaved his ERA down to 0.96, a sterling mark for his first 46.2 major league innings. However, the Atlanta offense made the Cubs lefty work hard for his scoreless night as they had 10 baserunners and drew three walks, both setting season-highs allowed for Imanaga. He draws a much easier opponent in his next start, scheduled against Pittsburgh at home this upcoming weekend.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Continues to dominate
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Imanaga (5-0) tossed seven scoreless innings to earn the win in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the Mets. He allowed three hits and a walk, while striking out seven.
Imanaga continued the amazing start to his MLB career, as he now has a stellar 0.78 ERA across 34.2 innings to go along with 35 strikeouts. The lefty has allowed zero earned runs in four of his six appearances so far, and the most he's allowed in an outing was the two earned runs he gave up back on April 20. While it seems unlikely that Imanaga will be able to keep up this incredible pace, it does look like he's already cemented himself as a fantasy star this season. He'll look to keep rolling in his next scheduled start, which is penciled in for Tuesday against the Padres.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Still no earned runs given up
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Imanaga (2-0) earned the win over Seattle on Saturday, allowing an unearned run on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 5.1 innings.
Imanaga entered the contest having fired 10 scoreless innings to begin his MLB career. He did give up a run Saturday, but it was unearned. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Imanaga is one of five hurlers in MLB history to go at least four innings without allowing an earned run in each of his first three big-league appearances. The Japanese southpaw has provided an excellent return for fantasy managers who invested in him on draft day, as he's complemented his 0.00 ERA with a 16:2 K:BB through 15.1 frames.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Dominant in MLB debut
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Imanaga (1-0) tossed six scoreless innings to earn the win Monday against the Rockies. He allowed two hits and struck out nine.
Making his first regular-season start in the majors, Imanaga looked right at home as he cruised through the Colorado lineup on 92 pitches and didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning. The lefty, who came over from Japan in the offseason on a four-year, $53 million deal, could be relied on even more heavily in the early going with Justin Steele (hamstring) likely out until May. The early indication is that Imanaga is up to the task and could be a strong fantasy asset. He'll look to build on his promising debut in his next start, which is tentatively set for Sunday against the Dodgers, a decidedly tougher opponent.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Could start home opener
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Imanaga appears on track to start the Cubs' home opener April 1 versus the Rockies, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Justin Steele will get the ball on Opening Day in Texas on March 28, potentially followed by Kyle Hendricks and Jordan Wicks. Imanaga would then be in line to make his MLB debut when the Cubs kick off a six-game homestand to begin April. The Japanese lefty has posted a 4.66 ERA in three spring starts, but his 19 strikeouts over 9.2 innings showcase the type of potential he possesses in his first season in North America.
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Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Allows three runs in team debut
Rotowire
Imanaga allowed three runs on three hits across 2.1 innings in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers. He struck out five.
Outside of allowing a three-run home run, Imanaga looked pretty good in his first start of the spring with his new team, striking out half of the batters he faced. The lefty is expected to slot into a top-of-the-rotation role with the Cubs after coming over from Nippon Professional Baseball in the offseason. Imanaga may have some ups and downs as he adjusts to MLB hitting for the first time, but the talent is there for him to make a strong fantasy impact.
