Chicago Cubs: The sweet and sour of Shota Imanaga starting Game Two of the NLDS

The Chicago Cubs are walking into American Family Field Monday night with their backs against the wall.

On Saturday, they were hammered by the Milwaukee Brewers 9-3 in the opening game of the NLDS, deflated and defeated with a 9-1 deficit after the second inning. Starter Matthew Boyd and his relief Michael Soroka were touched up for 9 runs in the first two innings and, from that point forward, focus shifted to doing better in Game Two.

There was some fan and media discussion around who would get the start on Monday, but, realistically, there was only one choice– Shota Imanaga.

With rookie phenom Cade Horton injured and Jameson Taillon on three days rest after his last outing, Imanaga is really the only option for a high-leverage, high-pressure starter.

So, the Japanese righty will have to be THE guy.

Mixed feeling on Shota Imanaga

At this particular moment, however, that doesn’t instill a whole lot of confidence.

In a season where he missed almost two months due to a hamstring strain, Imanaga finished with a whimper, posting a 6.51 ERA in the month of September while giving up 10 home runs in 27.2 innings pitched.

Last Wednesday, in Game Two of the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres, Imanaga took the mound in the second inning after opener Andrew Kittredge and pitched well until the fifth. That’s when he was, for some reason, allowed to pitch to Manny Machado with a runner on second and first base open, and proceeded to give up a two-run home run.

This time around, manager Craig Counsell has opted not to use an opener for Imanaga and has doubled down on his full faith in the elite-level chops of his starter.

Shota has to be the man

“The thing that I love most about Shota is that he is a competitor. I think he’s like a thinking man’s competitor, and he also pitches with a lot of joy on the mound, while competing at a really high level,” Counsel told reporters.

“He’s trying to figure out a way to get you out. He’s trying to figure out a way to be better,” Counsel affirmed. “That’s going on pitch to pitch, that’s going on between starts, and he’s really good at that part of it…We’ve seen him pitch for two years, and we’ve seen him succeed for two years, and that’s how he does it to me. He’s a fun player to watch compete. There’s no question about it.”

Against the Brewers in 2025, Imanaga has been solid. In three outings, he’s delivered a 3.56 ERA, but is just 1-2. In two starts facing the Brewers in Milwaukee, he’s 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA.

Despite the shaky finish to the regular season and the even shakier end to his start in the Wild Card Series, the hope is that Imanaga will rebound on Monday. Known as “The Throwing Philosopher” in Japan, he’s widely lauded for his ability to adapt and reconfigure his pitching strategies from appearance to appearance.

Chicago Cubs are confident

Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy was generally pleased with what he saw from Imanaga in his last start and is already talking up the changes being worked on for this upcoming appearance.

“He was able to move the fastball around,” Hottovy told The Athletic. “That’s one of the things we’ve been talking about a little bit more. Not just relying on the fastball up, but moving it around and using it down in the zone. Pitching in, pitching away, keeping the hitters a little bit more honest.”

With a fully rested bullpen after Sunday’s off day and another off day on Tuesday, it’s a sure thing that Counsell will have Imanaga on a short leash in Monday’s game. The Cubs, however, are hoping that it won’t be necessary to pull him until much later in the game.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-shota-imanaga-nlds-brewers