Shota Imanaga
Breakdown
Performance
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July 11, 2026
Tough-luck loss vs. Cincinnati
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.
Analysis
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.
July 5, 2026
Mixed bag in seventh loss
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.
Analysis
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.