After what felt like an entire season on the road, the Chicago Cubs finally played their home opener at Wrigley Field on Friday. On a cold, rainy, and otherwise dreadful day, the Cubs took down the red-hot Padres 3-1 to move to 6- 4 on the season, putting them first in the NL Central.
Imanaga was brilliant
The story of the game was Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. Imanaga was superb once again this season. His current season mark of a 0.98 ERA, 0.709 WHIP, and a 2-0 record is reminiscent of his hot start last season.
Similarly to last season, Imanaga was great at home and in the cold. Against the dangerous Padres lineup, he tossed 7.1 innings, a career high, while allowing just four hits and one run.
Ironically, his lone run allowed came off the bat of Padres catcher Martin Maldonado, the least dangerous hitter in their lineup. He also walked zero, which was his trademark last season. Imanaga is not a prominent strikeout artist; he relies on weak contact and keeping the ball in the park to be successful. And in the cold against San Diego, he dazzled to give the Cubs their first home win of the season.
Runs were at a premium
The Cubs’ offense was not as explosive as they were in Sacramento, but they still did enough to win. The Cubs got after Padres Starter Randy Vasquez early, working him for a 34 pitch first inning and adding a run in the bottom of the first after Vazguez walked in a run. Afterwards, Vazguez would settle in and throw more competitive pitches.
The Cubs would be silenced until the bottom of the fifth inning. Manager Craig Counsell would make the move to pinch-hit Justin Turner for Michael Busch, and he would respond with a clutch RBI to give the Cubs the lead. Later in the inning, Nico Hoerner would give the Cubs another run, making it a 3-1 game.
The Bullpen came through
The nerves were high for Cubs fans when Shota Imanaga gave way to the bullpen in the middle of the 7th inning. Entering the game would be Porter Hodge, the best of the Cubs’ relievers so far this season. He promptly dealt with the heart of the Padres’ lineup, allowing just one baserunner.
But in the ninth, with a two-run lead, Cubs closer Ryan Pressley looked shaky. He would walk a batter, allow a hit, and get the tying run to the plate with Jake Cronenworth up to hit. After a mound visit, Pressley was able to freeze Cornenworth with a fastball, sending the Cubs home with a victory.
A long, overdie opening day for the Cubs ended in triumph to the jubilee of the Wrigley faithful. The Cubs snap the Padres’ unbeaten streak and advance to two games above .500. Both these teams will do it again on Saturday, with Matthew Boyd and Nick Pivetta set to make their second starts of the season. The Cubs are set to debut their “Baby Blues” uniforms after discontinuing their City Connect jerseys.
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