Like the Cardinals, the Chicago Cubs don’t want to fall too far behind the streaking Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Central this month.
Like the Cardinals, the Cubs are dealing with the absence of their No. 1 starting pitcher – in their case Justin Steele, who is shelved by a hamstring injury he suffered while opening the season.
So just as the Cardinals loved how free-agent acquisition Kyle Gibson began his tenure with them, the Cubs were heartened by the debut of pitcher Shota Imanga Monday.
Imanga blanked the Colorado Rockies for six innings while allowing just one hit.
“That was an awesome first performance,” Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said. “I'm excited that he's on our team.”
This is what the Small Bears were hoping for when they signed Imanga to a contract worth at least $53 million for at least four years. He came to Chicago after posting a 2.80 earned-run average in 22 starts last season for the Yokohama BayStars of the Japan Central League.
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Imanga was just so-so during spring training while making his transition, posting a 5.68 earned-run average in exhibition play. But he put it all together against the Rockies.
“Really, to me, it was just how much he attacked the zone,” Cubs catcher Yan Gomes said. “That's what makes it fun to be able to switch pitches and be able to go into a game plan.”
After capping off his performance by striking out Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones, Imanga let out a celebratory yell.
“I'm not sure what I yelled,” Imanaga said via an interpreter. “But afterwards, I said, ‘Let's go!’ So I think I'm becoming a little bit more acclimated to the culture of the U.S.”
Writing for MLB.com, Anthony Castrovince had noted that Steele’s injury put more focus on Imanaga:
Steele made The Leap over the past two years, posting an ERA+ that was 40% better than league average. Alas, he won’t be doing any leaping for a while. He’ll be out at least a month. Is this a season-killer? No, absolutely not. But I don’t blame Cubs fans for fretting this one. Because a rotation low on strikeout stuff, already without Jameson Taillon (back) and perhaps counting on Shota Imanaga to be a top-of-the-rotation type (as opposed to the solid mid-rotation option many evaluators think he’ll be) looks iffy to me. This is a big early test for the Cubbies.
Writing for ESPN.com, David Schoenfield noted that the Cubs will have their starting pitching depth tested in Steele’s absence:
Ben Brown was called up to the roster, but he allowed six runs in relief in his major league debut. That will undoubtedly remove him as a possible Steele replacement; that probably now goes to Drew Smyly.
If it's just a month, the Cubs will be OK, but it points to the same issue nearly every team has: How much rotation depth do you need to have? Brown was supposed to be an option, but who knows after that rough debut. Top prospect Cade Horton is another possibility down the road, but he has only 27 innings above High-A. Smyly had a 5.00 ERA last season and gives up a lot of home runs.
This is why Imanga's strong debut was so important.
TALKIN’ BASEBALL
Here is what folks have been writing about Our National Pastime:
Andrew Simon, MLB.com: “The Cardinals made the playoffs every year from 2019-22. The Padres made it twice in that span, reaching the NLCS in ‘22. Both clubs, especially San Diego, entered last season with high expectations. Instead, things fell apart. But a new season offers a clean slate and a new opportunity. Both teams overhauled their pitching staffs over the winter and former Cardinals manager Mike Schildt took the helm in San Diego following Bob Melvin’s jump to San Francisco. Nolan Arenado, Xander Bogaerts, Paul Goldschmidt, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. still anchor these lineups. It remains to be seen if better things are ahead for either team, but this (series) could be one small step toward an answer.”
Gabe Lacques, USA Today: “It’s not easy to sweep a series. Let alone a four-game series. Particularly when the glare of Opening Day is upon you and the rhythms of a season have yet to settle in. So congratulations to the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates, who won three and four games at Chicago and Miami, respectively, for an unbeaten lid-lifter. But a special commendation to the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees, who exacted some vengeance with their spotless starts . . . Opening in a joint that was a house of playoff horrors in 2017, 2019 and 2022, the Yankees flattened the Houston Astros in four games at Minute Maid Park, an effort capped by new left fielder Alex Verdugo’s sliding catch to get out of town. That’s four games off the schedule without Gerrit Cole – and nary a loss to show for it. Meanwhile, the Brewers saw their former chief executive, David Stearns, poached by the New York Mets, and then dealt away their former Cy Young Award winner, Corbin Burnes, in the winter. No matter: Rabble-rousing acquisition Rhys Hoskins played hero and the Brewers swept three games at Citi Field. That’s a fair amount of tumult for just a four-day week.”
David Schoenfield, ESPN.com: “That was an ugly three-game series for the New York Mets against the Brewers, kind of the opposite of Soto and the crosstown Yankees. Friday: The Mets had just one hit, but that might have been overshadowed by the benches-clearing incident after Jeff McNeil got upset with a hard -- but legal -- slide from Mets enemy Rhys Hoskins. (That rivalry goes back to his Phillies days, when a Mets rookie named Jacob Rhame threw a fastball behind Hoskins' head and then Hoskins homered a few days later off Rhame and took a 34-second trot around the bases.) Saturday: Hoskins had three hits, including a home run, when Mets reliever Yohan Ramirez threw behind him in the seventh inning. The benches didn't empty, but Ramirez was tossed from the game and suspended for three games. New Mets manager Carlos Mendoza received a one-game suspension, which he served Sunday. More problematic, though: Luis Severino, coming off a bad year with the Yankees in 2023, allowed 12 hits and six runs in five innings. His stuff just doesn't have the same pop it once did. Again, we don't want to overreact here, but if the Mets are to do anything this season, Severino has to be at least decent. He wasn't in his first start. Sunday: The Brewers won 4-1 to complete the sweep. Mets pitchers issued six walks. (Jackson) Chourio had a nice first weekend in the majors for Milwaukee, going 5-for-12 and showing off his speed and defense on Sunday with an infield hit and two outstanding catches in right field. It was a good start for the Brewers, who will try to ride good defense and a good bullpen, as always.”
Brian McTaggart, MLB.com: “Amid the commotion that typically follows a no-hitter, Ronel Blanco’s’ mother made her way through the excited crowd and to the front row of the seats above the Astros’ dugout, trying to get her son’s attention. That wasn’t easy to do, considering everybody on the field was giving him hugs and high-fives at every turn. The 30-year-old right-hander eventually locked eyes on mom and motioned for her to come to the field, where they shared an embrace that meant more than anyone would ever know. After all, Blanco was working part-time at a car wash in 2016 in his native Dominican Republic to help support his mother, Maria, when he was signed by the Astros. Blanco -- a former infielder who switched to pitching at 18 years old and visited several academies in the Dominican Republic before the Astros eventually signed him for $5,000 -- pitched the game of his life on Monday night at Minute Maid Park. He threw the 17th no-hitter in franchise history in a 10-0 win over the Blue Jays, walking two batters and striking out seven.”
Chris Thompson, The Defector: “Somewhere around 4,000 fans were on hand Sunday in Oakland when Athletics pinch hitter Abraham Toro declined to swing at a ninth-inning 3–0 fastball from Guardians reliever Eli Morgan. The pitch missed up and in. Toro dropped his bat and jogged toward first base; pinch runner Darell Hernaiz, on third with the bases juiced, trotted home, and the home dugout emptied to the echoing applause of all that is left of the team's diehard fanbase. Passive inaction had delivered to the Athletics their first win of the 2024 regular season. This team stinks real bad, on purpose; there won't be too many of these. John Fisher, the Athletics' worst-in-class owner, is still pursuing a plan to move them from Oakland—where Fisher's persistent neglect and sneering contempt have long convinced an otherwise passionate fanbase to find better ways to spend its time and money—to a new permanent home on the site of the Tropicana Las Vegas casino hotel, in Nevada.”
R.J. Anderson, CBSSports.com: “This is a pivotal season for Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber. He's slated for free agency come the winter, and he's attempting to amend for a 2023 campaign that featured injury, a statline that was beneath his usual standards, and an ineffective heater. Bieber had a tremendous spring, during which he displayed an upgraded arsenal. Through one start -- an outing against the Athletics that saw him strike out 11 batters in six shutout frames -- he continued to show improved velocity. His average fastball was up exactly one tick from 2023. Additionally, his hardest pitch on the day (93.7) would've been his fastest all last year. Bieber's heater still didn't miss many bats. Yet his 11% whiff rate would represent an improvement over last season's 9.5% mark. We'll see if Bieber can maintain that new oomph over the rest of the season. So far, the Guardians have reason to be optimistic.”
MEGAPHONE
“Everyone knows how energetic, how electric I feel when I'm on the mound. But pitching in high-leverage situations, you've just got to be so in the moment. You've just got to feel so calm. And I feel like that's how I feel when I'm pitching. But then, when I know I did my job, I let my emotions out, because that's the kind of player I am. Even if I try to hold it down, it's really hard to, because it's really hard to compete at this level. I just feel like, even for me, it came out of nowhere. That was my reaction.”
Cubs reliever Adbert Alzolay, on his fist pump celebration.