Shota Imanaga doesn't allow any hits over six innings, but Cubs still lose 2-0
Shota Imanaga gave the Cubs six innings of no-hit pitching Friday. The Cubs, despite the return of slugger Seiya Suzuki to the middle of their lineup, gave themselves no hits when even one might have made the difference between winning and losing.
The result was predictable. Despite what ranked among Imanaga’s best starts as a Cub — six hitless innings, one walk, and just one batter faced over the minimum — the Cubs were beaten, 2-0, by the Pittsburgh Pirates on a desultory afternoon in Wrigley Field overstuffed with missed opportunities.
Twice the Cubs loaded the bases and failed to score. Twice they left two runners on. They had six hits, all singles. They drew seven walks. They put the leadoff man on base four times.
And they came up empty each time, combining to go 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position which gave a crowd of 28,811 little to cheer about.
“It’s one of those offensive days,’’ manager Craig Counsell said, “where you do a lot of things right and then you walk away and you’re just, ‘How did we not score today? How did we have a zero on the board?' And so, it’s frustrating.’’
It was a particularly galling day for Pete-Crow Armstrong, who hit into a double play in the second, flied out with two on in the fourth, struck out with two on in the sixth, and avoided hitting into another double play in the eighth only because shortstop Konnor Griffin’s relay was wide.
Imanaga had thrown 100 pitches through six innings, so there was no thought by Counsell to have him continue. “Easy decision,’’ he said.
His best outing as a Cub? Imanaga wasn’t prepared to call it that.
“I can’t recall every single start that I’ve made,’’ he said, “but thinking back, I can’t say for certain this was the best.’’
This was the eighth time in his 57 starts as a Cub that the left-hander has pitched at least six innings without allowing a run.
“I think Shota has really had three good starts, minus one pitch,’’ Counsell said, alluding to the three-run home run Imanaga gave up to the Nationals’ Joey Wiemer in his first start.
“And that’s great news for us.’’
On Sept. 4, 2024, Shota threw seven no-hit innings against the Pirates in what would become a combined no-hitter in a 12-0 win at Wrigley. The Pirates had just three holdovers in Friday’s lineup from that team — Bryan Reynolds, Nick Gonzales and Oneil Cruz — and it was Reynolds who combined with newcomer Ryan O’Hearn to make sure history would not repeat itself. O’Hearn hit reliever Caleb Thielbar’s third pitch into right field for a single. Reynolds hit Thielbar’s next pitch, a hanging curveball, into the left-field bleachers.
Thielbar was not in the Cubs’ clubhouse, which was bereft of both bodies and music after this loss. Alex Bregman was deep in conversation with a staff member in front of his locker. Carson Kelly, who was on base four times — a single and three walks — talked about Shota’s start — and Suzuki discussed his return from his hamstring injury.
Otherwise, crickets. When a club has just been shut out a second time and three regulars are nearly 50 at-bats into a season and are all hitting under .200 ( Bregman, Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson, the low man at .140), having to answer questions can be a painful exercise.
Jed Hoyer, chatting with reporters before the game, said taking the temperature of a team this early in the season is an unproductive exercise. He likened it to an NFL team trying to draw conclusions after one game or the equivalent of playing the first hole in a round of golf.
“Our offense projects to be an excellent offense,’’ he said. “We’re [6 and 7] and we haven’t really hit yet. I think that actually excites me, because we have really good players that haven’t gotten going yet, and at the end of the day, they’ll get to where their baseball card says they should be.’’