Shota Imanaga sure looks like a Game 1 starter for the playoffs. But the Cubs’ postseason fate remains a hot-button mystery in Wrigleyville, leaving it anyone’s guess whether he’ll have a chance to be a hero in October.
Imanaga did his part Thursday against the Brewers, but he could only do so much as the Cubs’ bats failed to back him in a 4-1 loss in the finale of a pivotal five-game series between National League Central rivals — a defeat that dropped the Cubs seven games out of first place.
In seven innings of two-run ball, Imanaga retired a stretch of 13 straight hitters, with the lone damage coming on a two-run homer by Brice Turang in the second inning. It was Imanaga’s second consecutive seven-inning outing. He has a 3.17 ERA since returning in late June from a lengthy stay on the injured list.
After causing panic in the first half, when it was plagued by injuries, the starting rotation has been stellar of late, entering Thursday with the best ERA in baseball since the All-Star break, a number that dropped to 3.08 after Imanaga’s effort.
Although Cubs fans were begging for a top-of-the-rotation splash at the trade deadline last month, it’s hard to imagine a better acquisition — and a better potential playoff X-factor — than Imanaga. But he plays only one position. And he sure doesn’t hit, which at the moment means he fits in well with his scuffling teammates, whose second-half struggles at the plate dragged on Thursday. Despite drawing eight walks, the Cubs mustered just one run, leaving the bases littered with would-be scorers and stranding 11 on the afternoon, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Imanaga (8-6) looks like a guy who could carry the Cubs in the postseason, but right now, his job is to merely keep them afloat. Despite winning this week’s series, they gained just a game on the Brewers.
They still boast the top wild-card spot in the NL, but with the bats quiet for as long as they have been, who knows what awaits after the final 34 regular-season games?
“We have a lot of games left,” Imanaga said through an interpreter. “Obviously, if we won five [against the Brewers], that would have been great. But Milwaukee’s a great team.
“There’s no reason to dwell upon the loss today. We just need to keep up the momentum.”
Caissie at the bat?
With right fielder Kyle Tucker returning to the lineup Thursday, rookie Owen Caissie could be boxed out of regular playing time in the outfield, even after he had four hits, a home run, three RBI and four runs scored in the first four games of the Brewers series.
But with the Cubs in need of offense, manager Craig Counsell might be forced to consider Caissie more often.
“We have a good problem in front of us now, trying to find some guys at-bats and keep them involved and keep them productive,” Counsell said. “It’s going to be a challenge, that’s what I’ll tell you.
“Owen has had a good three days here, an impactful three days, and helped us win some baseball games. That’s meaningful. It’s still going to be a challenge to find spots for him to get in there. But it’s my responsibility to do that. It’s a puzzle we’re going to have to put together moving forward.”