ST. LOUIS — Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga pinpointed a fastball on the inside corner to the Cardinals’ Willson Contreras, nicking the top of the strike zone. Contreras’ whiff spun him all the way around for strike three.
It was Imanaga’s first game back after more than seven weeks on the injured list, and he didn’t appear to have any rust to shake off. In the Cubs’ 3-0 victory Thursday, he held the Cards to one hit in five innings.
“I was very grateful because during my rehab process, the team was playing really well,” Imanaga said. “So today, it didn’t really feel like my first start coming back from rehab. It was just, ‘OK, let’s even up this series.’ ’’
The victory did just that, securing a split in the finale of a four-game set at Busch Stadium. The Cubs reached the season’s halfway point with a 48-33 record and three-game lead in the National League Central.
“[Imanaga] controlled the environment, looked like he’d been out there every single start,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I think there’s a tendency to get a little over-amped in a start like that, and I thought he controlled his effort level really well, his energy really well, and that caused a lot of really good execution.”
Even the one hit Imanaga allowed could’ve gone the other way with a better bounce. Masyn Winn’s sharp ground ball in the first inning glanced off shortstop Dansby Swanson’s glove as he went down to a knee to his backhand side.
Imanaga (4-2, 2.54 ERA) only allowed one other baserunner, Contreras on a walk in the fourth inning.
“When you can get an All-Star guy who just does his thing on the mound back, it’s always good,” said first baseman Michael Busch, whose solo shot in the second inning made him the first player with that surname to homer at any iteration of Busch Stadium, according to mlb.com.
Imanaga’s previous outing was on May 4, when he strained his left hamstring covering first on a double-play attempt against the Brewers.
He tested his legs early when he got Cardinals leadoff hitter Brendan Donovan to ground out to first and ran over to cover the bag.
“I felt relaxed afterward,” Imanaga said. “And I think the team felt same way. I was able to stay calm and make the play. So I think there was a sign of relief after that.”
The Cubs were monitoring Imanaga’s workload, knowing he wasn’t fully built up. So with the humidity bearing down, and Imanaga already through five innings, he ended his start at 77 pitches.
“Number one, our goal with Shota is going to be getting him built up, fully stretched out, making sure everything that Shota does is going to be in check,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said before the game. “Once you feel like that’s there, you’re getting a stopper, a guy who’s done so well for us over the last year and a half of, when you need that big start, he’s the guy.”
His shutdown performance came after left-hander Matthew Boyd went six innings in the Cubs’ 8-0 win Wednesday. The dual efforts yanked the Cubs out of a rut of five losses in six games.
To make room on the roster to reinstate Imanaga, the Cubs designated veteran reliever Michael Fulmer for assignment. In two appearances, Fulmer threw three scoreless innings and limited the Cardinals to two hits.
“Michael did a really nice job,” Counsell said. “And we’re hopeful that we could keep him in the organization; he’s got to go through a process here.
‘‘But we kind of map this chain of moves out. And nothing sidetracked us from that path.”