Rob Refsnyder was ready, smacking Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga’s first pitch Saturday into the gap in left-center field for a leadoff double.
But ready or not, the Red Sox couldn’t do much of anything else against Imanaga after Refsnyder’s opening smash in the Cubs’ 6-0 victory.
With the MLB trade season upon them, it’s time for president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer & Co. to finally address the starting-pitching need that has been hanging over the Cubs for much of the campaign.
But while the Cubs certainly need reinforcements to boost a staff that still is battling injuries, they already have, in Imanaga, the one thing every team chasing a championship requires: an ace.
‘‘The [Cubs’] record in his starts, it’s 32-10,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘That’s an ace-level record right there. That’s as good as it gets. He’s pitching at a really high level, and it feels like he’s gotten into this groove, in kind of midseason form now.”
Imanaga has been dazzling since returning from a lengthy stint on the injured list. He has allowed a combined six runs in five starts, including the seven scoreless innings he tossed Saturday.
He stranded Refsnyder in scoring position in the first by striking out back-to-back Red Sox after Refsnyder had reached third base. From there, he escaped twice more, stranding two runners in the second and again in the seventh to polish off his second scoreless outing since coming off the IL.
It made for consecutive gems for Imanaga against American League East contenders. He pitched seven innings of one-run, two-hit ball against the Yankees in the Cubs’ last game before the All-Star break.
‘‘He just got better as the game went and was just excellent,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘Just a masterful performance again.’’
Several arms, be it right-handers Colin Rea or rookie Cade Horton, have stepped up to various degrees and helped the Cubs survive an onslaught of pitching injuries.
But because of decreasing depth or those pitchers’ at times inconsistent performances, it long has seemed Hoyer would need to add pitching at the deadline if the Cubs are to remain true World Series contenders.
But in addition to the Cubs having one of the best offenses in the majors — they homered five times Saturday — and a stellar group of defenders, Imanaga stands as a reason the North Siders are contenders in the first place.
As much as the rotation is an area that needs to be addressed before the end of the month, the No. 1 spot in that rotation is no concern.
‘‘Shota, he’s one of the best pitchers in the world,’’ first baseman Michael Busch said. ‘‘Anytime you get him on the mound, you know you’ve got a good shot to win.’’
First-pitch power
If Refsnyder tattooed Imanaga’s first pitch, we’re going to need a new verb for what Busch did to the first pitch of the bottom of the first.
Busch blasted Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello’s initial offering into the bleachers for his 20th home run, the first half of back-to-back jacks with right fielder Kyle Tucker, to stake the Cubs to an early advantage. Third baseman Matt Shaw, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and left fielder Ian Happ homered later in the game.
Busch was batting leadoff as part of Counsell’s recent lineup maneuvering, which he began just before the All-Star break in an effort to snap Happ out of a slump.
‘‘Ian is an important part of this offense, a very important part of this offense,’’ Counsell said of his new middle-of-the-order hitter. ‘‘And I think he’s going to have a really good last 2½ months of the season. He’s in a spot now where he can drive in a lot of runs. But he’s an important part of this offense, and I’m fully confident that he’s going to be that moving forward.’’
It’s early in the experiment, but Happ is 5-for-15 in the four games since being moved from the leadoff spot.