Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga, known for his expressive reactions on the mound, grimaced as Mets batter Tyrone Taylor’s line drive whizzed past him.
In the Cubs’ 8-5 loss Thursday, that double in the sixth inning drove in two runs and spelled the end of Imanaga’s regular season.
In his last start before the playoffs, he allowed a season-high eight runs in 5⅔ innings. He had only topped that dubious mark once in his career — against the Mets last June.
Francisco Lindor takes Shota Imanaga deep to cement his 30/30 season! pic.twitter.com/bRSpsa05Xt
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 26, 2025
“He just wasn’t sharp today,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Early, there just wasn’t much execution. When he got chances to make put-away pitches, he didn’t get the put-away pitch.”
Early this season, Imanaga (3.73 ERA) was considered a stopper — the pitcher whose presence on the mound was sure to right a team in a down stretch. But he has struggled to maintain consistency in his delivery since returning in late June from a hamstring injury.
He has had a bumpy finish, allowing three or more runs in all five of his September starts.
“If I said I was confident, people hearing that would just think I’m just trying to be optimistic,” Imanaga said. “But in the coming days, I just want to make all the adjustments that I need to make to regain that confidence.”
The Mets’ first run scored on a bizarre play. With runners on second and third, Mark Vientos hit a pop-up into foul territory up the third-base side.
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson persisted through a near-collision with third baseman Matt Shaw and caught the ball as he toppled into the netting. He threw it back to Shaw for a relay that beat the Mets’ Francisco Lindor to the plate.
Swanson was ruled to be in the stands, however, and the runners automatically advanced.
Imanaga’s misses with his splitter led to doubles by Pete Alonso and Taylor. Misses with his fastball led to two home runs, a solo shot by Lindor and a three-run blast by Brett Baty.
Suzuki heats up
The Cubs’ offense didn’t have many answers against Mets starter Nolan McLean, who had a career-high 11 strikeouts. But Seiya Suzuki had him figured out.
Suzuki launched a solo home run in the fourth inning for the Cubs’ first run. Then after Swanson added his own solo shot in the fifth, Suzuki blasted a three-run homer in the sixth. It was the eighth multihomer game of Suzuki’s career and fifth this season.
Seiya Suzuki has a multi-homer game and the @Cubs are within striking distance 👀 pic.twitter.com/WmsxtSyjUT
— MLB (@MLB) September 26, 2025
Ballesteros to the playoffs?
Rookie Moises Ballesteros is making a strong case to be included on the Cubs’ playoff roster. He entered Thursday hitting .273 with a .742 OPS in his most recent major-league stint, dating to Sept. 12.
“Moises is playing at a really high level,” Counsell said. “Just where he’s hitting in the lineup should tell you a lot. And he’s contributing offensively significantly, and that’s real and that matters. Absolutely, we’re taking note of it.”
Ballesteros, serving as the DH with Kyle Tucker (strained left calf) still on the 10-day injured list and Suzuki playing right field, has been hitting cleanup against right-handed starting pitching.
Flashing leather
Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong added another web gem to his extensive defensive portfolio. As part of a three-up, three-down fifth inning, he covered ground into the right-field gap and made a diving catch on Juan Soto’s line drive to the warning track.
Left fielder Ian Happ also made a diving catch, fully extending in midair to nab Vientos’ line drive in the fourth inning.
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