Shota Imanaga

Shota Imanaga allowed four hits and three runs with four strikeouts and zero walks over 5 1/3 innings in a win over the Guardians on Wednesday.

It looked like this game could get ugly quickly for Imanaga after the Guardians launched three home runs before he could get out of the third inning. Yet, in classic Imanaga fashion, all three were solo shots and were the only hits of the game to that point. All three also came on fastballs right smack dab in the heart of the plate. It’s important to note that he was pulled with just 81 pitches before Carlos Santana came to the plate for the third time. While that’s likely partially due to the Cubs being careful with Imanaga in just his second start back after missing more than seven weeks with a hamstring strain, he only threw more than 90 pitches three total times before the injury. Keep an eye on his workload next time out against the Twins.