Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga pitched four scoreless innings in a rehab game Saturday in Arizona as he works his way back from the strained hamstring that has sidelined him for more than a month.
Imanaga gave up three hits but walked none and struck out four against rookie-ball competition.
Imanaga, who pitched two scoreless innings in his first rehab outing Monday in Arizona, is scheduled to make at least one more rehab start before returning to the Cubs, manager Craig Counsell said. His next outing is expected to come with Triple-A Iowa.
Imanaga’s eventual return figures to provide a much-needed boost to a Cubs starting staff that has pitched without him and fellow left-hander Justin Steele for much of the season.
The rotation has performed well, with the starters’ ERA at 3.88 after Matthew Boyd pitched six innings of one-run ball in the Cubs’ 2-1 victory Saturday against the Pirates.
‘‘My job is my job, whether it’s pitching in a rotation with the guys that are in it right now or the guys that were in it on Opening Day or any other [combination],’’ Boyd said. ‘‘I’ll always welcome those guys back, Shota and [Steele]. They’re amazing talents, and they make our team better when they’re on the field.
‘‘We know what we’re asked. We know what we expect of ourselves when the ball’s in our hands. Circumstances don’t change that.’’
The Cubs hope Boyd, whom they signed as a free agent during the offseason, doesn’t change a thing. He has been an anchor in the rotation with a 2.79 ERA this season.
Slump-buster for Swanson?
It has been a rough stretch at the plate for shortstop Dansby Swanson. But he launched a solo home run with two outs to break a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning Saturday, his 13th long ball of the season and a positive moment as he looks to break out of a fairly deep slump.
‘‘It’s what power does for you,’’ Counsell said after the game. ‘‘A two-out homer when there’s no rally going. It’s been a strength of this team, the power throughout the lineup that lets you put a run on the board without much going on.
‘‘Thirteen [home runs] from your shortstop in the middle of June? That’s pretty darn good.’’
Swanson is on pace for nearly 30 homers this season, which would set a career high. But he still has some ugly numbers in his last 20 games, hitting .182 with a .207 on-base percentage.
The current stretch mirrors his funk earlier this season, when he hit .188 with a .233 on-base percentage in April.
Of course, Swanson, a two-time Gold Glove winner, has contributed his typically stellar defense and done plenty more to help the Cubs to their spot atop the National League Central standings.
‘‘I’ve learned in this game you’ve just got to show up every day and do your job, be prepared to help this group win, whether it’s offensively or in the field, running the bases,’’ Swanson said. ‘‘There’s so many different ways to do it.
‘‘We take pride in being good at everything and continue to put in the work to be that way.’’
Perfect Porter
Reliever Porter Hodge pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout in a rehab outing Friday for Iowa.
Counsell said Hodge will pitch for Iowa again Tuesday as he works his way back from a hip impingement that has lengthened a stay on the injured list that started with a strained oblique.