WASHINGTON — Matt Shaw’s sprained hand is still bugging him.
The Cubs’ utility man updated Tuesday that he’s “finally over that hump” and feeling better, but the team still has some markers for him to hit, some pain that still needs to go away before he can come back from an injured-list stay that’s lasted a month and a half.
“We’ve gotten to the point where I can swing almost full effort with no pain, or a little pain,” Shaw said. “If I can get to the point where I can swing and miss or take a funky swing, things like that, with no pain, if I can do that — or at least like a 1 or 2, low-level pain — that’s definitely the marker to be like, ‘OK, ready to go.’
“It’s been long. It’s felt like a really long time. I’m definitely getting antsy to be getting ready to play. But it’s been good watching the boys crushing it of late. I’m really excited to get back. I miss being out there. I miss all of it. I’m looking forward to it, for sure.”
Shaw has been around the team plenty while in recovery mode, with a front-row seat to what’s been one of baseball’s best teams. The Cubs started Tuesday with a 35-16 record since June 11, the National League’s best mark and the sport’s second best in that span.
The Cubs started the season with championship-level aspirations that included Shaw playing a sizable role. While infielder Pedro Ramirez and outfielder Michael Conforto have kept the team’s bench productive without him, Shaw still figures to factor into a title chase, assuming the pain in his hand finally goes away.
“I see a really good team,” Shaw said. “We’ve known we’re going to be really good from the very beginning. We’ve gone through ups and downs … and here we are on the far end of it where we’re playing really well. … It’s really, really good baseball.
“You look at this team, and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is a really good team.’
“I’m pumped to get back out there and be helping any way I can. It’s been a great experience this year being around the boys. It’s obviously stunk a little bit being hurt, but it is what it is and we’ll be back and we’ll be rolling.”
Shota smacked
Lefty starter Shota Imanaga surrendered three homers to the Nationals on Tuesday night.
When one of baseball’s most homer-prone pitchers meets baseball’s home-run leaders, this sort of thing isn’t exactly a surprise.
But Imanaga has allowed 28 long balls on the season, one shy of the major league lead.
Imanaga — who allowed four runs in 4⅔ innings Tuesday — has been mostly fantastic this season, coming into Tuesday with a 2.06 ERA in his previous 10 starts, but home runs have remained an issue.
It recalls his struggles toward the end of last season, when he gave up multiple homers in five of his final six regular-season starts and three more across a pair of playoff outings.
Good and bad
Righty pitchers Edward Cabrera and Daniel Palencia had minor league rehab outings with Double-A Knoxville on Tuesday.
While Cabrera had a second consecutive solid showing, throwing five scoreless, hitless innings and striking out seven, Palencia struggled for a second straight rehab appearance, facing six batters, walking three of them and hitting another, tagged for four runs.
