Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga was dominant on Sunday, shutting out the Washington Nationals for seven frames in a 5-0 win. Imanaga gave up six hits, walked none, and struck out four in this one. He has been a model of consistency for the Cubs, allowing three runs or less in all but three of his starts this season. His numbers are ace-like, and he should be drafted as one heading into next season. He gets the Reds in his final start of the season, where he will be a clear must-start.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga continued his excellent rookie season in Monday's 9-2 win over the Athletics. Imanaga pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits (including a two-run home run) and three walks with 11 strikeouts. The 31-year-old has seamlessly adapted to Major League Baseball and is now 14-3 with a 3.03 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and a 9.20 K/9 rate in 28 starts and 166 1/3 IP. His only slight blemish has been his 1.46 HR/9 rate, which was a known part of his game from his time in Japan. His next start will be a favorable one against the Nationals.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga led the way on Wednesday evening in a combined no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The southpaw logged seven innings and allowed just two free passes while striking out seven. Cubs skipper Craig Counsell then turned to Nate Pearson to pitch in the eighth and Porter Hodge to close out the final frame. This was an excellent bounce-back for Imanaga, as he has carried a 3.68 ERA since the start of August. In addition, this was another strong sign that Hodge is growing into a closer role in the Northside as he was called upon to close out the no-hitter. The 23-year-old has tallied two saves in his past five outings with no earned runs and a 1.06 WHIP. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor who sees the majority of save opportunities down the stretch in Chicago. Imanaga is currently lined up to face the high-powered Los Angeles Dodgers in his next start.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga went six innings in Friday's 7-6 victory over the Nationals, allowing three earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight on the way to picking up his 11th win of the season. It was the southpaw's 15th quality start of the year out of 25 starts, and he's now got a 3.14 ERA on the season with a 1.05 WHIP and a 21.2% K-BB%. The 30-year-old lines up with Pittsburgh at home in his next start, a team he shut down over seven innings at home earlier this season, allowing no runs on four hits and a walk while striking out seven.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga continued his excellent rookie season in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Twins. Imanga pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on two hits (including a two-run home run) and a walk with 10 strikeouts. The 20-year-old has made a seamless transition from Nippon Professional Baseball and is now 9-2 with a 3.06 ERA, a 9.34 K/9 rate, and a 1.31 BB/9 rate in 21 starts and 123 1/3 IP. His 1.24 HR/9 rate is even tolerable, given the scouting report on him was occasionally high home run totals. His next matchup will be a tougher one at the Guardians, but Imanaga has clearly proven to be a must-start fantasy pitcher.
Shota Imanaga Punches Out 10 Batters, Allows One Run Sunday
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga had a stellar Sunday afternoon hurling seven one-run innings while punching out 10 batters with two hits and one walk allowed in a 2-1 extra-inning victory versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. After having a rough 5.67 ERA in June, mostly due to a 10-run blow-up performance against the New York Mets and a couple of short outings from the end of May and beginning of June, Imanaga proved to baseball fans everywhere once again that there is more than just one great "Sho" in town. Imanaga has been superb in three July starts with a 1.89 ERA in three games versus loaded lineups in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Arizona. Paul Skenes was looking like he could runaway with the National League Rookie of the Year Award, but Imanaga's last few performances have gotten him back in the race. It will be a fun battle to watch between these two exciting starting pitchers that is for sure. Look for Imanaga to continue the "Sho" against the Kansas City Royals next weekend.
Shota Imanaga Dazzles With Six Shutout Innings Against O's
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga was brilliant in Wednesday's start against the hosting Baltimore Orioles, firing six shutout innings with six strikeouts. Imanaga netted his ninth win of the season on Wednesday, shutting down the hard-hitting O's lineup on six hits and one walk. Despite a few hiccups here and there this year, the 30-year-old All-Star left-hander heads to the Midsummer Classic with a stellar 2.97 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 98 punchouts and 16 walks over 17 starts (97 innings) for the Cubs during his debut season in the major leagues.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga had his worst outing in the majors on Friday afternoon, giving up 10 runs on 11 hits in three innings in the Cubs' 11-1 loss to the New York Mets. After being credited with the loss Imanaga's record is now 7-2. The lefty allowed three homers to J.D. Martinez, Francisco Alvarez and Brandon Nimmo. Imanaga's ERA rose a full run from 1.90 to 2.96 after the dredging. "Sometimes, when I give my 100% that's not enough. So, I need to figure out unique ways to be better," the Japanese rookie stated after the loss. Imanaga had been due for negative regression with a 3.05 xERA prior to today and he's clearly needing to find new ways to counter batters now that the league has a bit of a book on him. He'll get his next shot to get back on track on Wednesday night in San Francisco against the Giants.
Bailey Falter Pitches Well In No-Decision Against The Cubs
A day after getting six no-hit innings from Paul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates got another solid outing from their rotation as Bailey Falter tossed 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball in Saturday's 1-0 loss at the Chicago Cubs. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out two over 7 2/3 scoreless frames. The 27-year-old did not factor into the decision. Falter allowed just three hits in the longest outing of his career, matching zeroes with Cubs ace Shota Imanaga. "It was awesome," Falter said about matching up with Imanaga. Despite the no-decision, Falter, 2-2 on the season, lowered his ERA to 3.53, while his 0.98 WHIP makes him an intriguing option for fantasy managers who need help in that category. In his next start, the southpaw draws a tough matchup against the Braves and can be used as a deep-league streamer.
Chicago Cubs lefthander Shota Imanaga was excellent once again on Saturday afternoon, going seven innings while scattering four hits and a walk to go with seven strikeouts. He did not surrender a run. Imanaga did not factor into the decision but is 5-0 in eight starts with a .84 ERA, a .94 WHIP, and 51 strikeouts in 46 innings. Imanaga will start against the St. Louis Cardinals next Friday.
Shota Imanaga
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Cubs
