Shōta Imanaga, man, his last start against us in Seattle was a *nightmare*. The guy only lasted two innings last Sunday, tossing 72 pitches and giving up five hits and two walks. Thankfully, Craig Counsell pulled him, and the Cubs still managed to grab the win, but talk about a shaky outing. Now he’s back on the bump today, going against the Reds, and everyone’s gotta be wondering if that Seattle struggle was just a one-off or something more.
Can Imanaga Shake Off the Emerald City Rust?
Before that meltdown in Seattle, Imanaga was looking pretty sharp for the Cubs. We’re talking a 2.67 ERA and a 1.099 WHIP over 12 starts, spanning 67.1 innings, even punching out 10 White Sox batters back on August 17. That’s the guy they need out there. He’s facing Chase Burns today, the Reds’ top draft pick from 2024 who’s been Cincinnati’s best starter all year. Burns has hit a rough patch himself lately, giving up five runs in two of his last four starts. He’s never faced the Cubs before this season, with his only career appearance against them being 1.1 scoreless innings last year. This is a huge matchup of two pitchers looking to regain some consistency.
Night Game Grind and Series Drama
This isn’t just any game, folks. Today kicks off a wild stretch of five straight home night games for the Cubs at Wrigley, without a road trip in between. They’ve done this three times before, with mixed results: going 3-2 in June 2017, 3-2 in September 2020, and a rough 1-4 in April 2022. What makes this streak unique is it’s the first time they’ll play five straight home night games in two series against National League opponents. They used to max out at four back in 2005. The Cubs usually thrive under the lights, holding a 46-29 record in night games this season, including an 18-12 mark at home. That’s a strong trend, slightly down from last year’s 49-38 overall and 21-11 home night records, but still solid. The big question is how they handle the pressure of these five consecutive night games.
Offensive Spark and the Decider
The Cubs bats were absolutely alive yesterday, putting runs on the board in six of their eight innings. That’s only the third time they’ve done that all season, and they even scored in six of nine innings twice before that. The craziest part? They hung four innings with three runs each, a season high for them in terms of “crooked numbers” in a single game. They also posted two runs three separate times in three different games. Their offense can absolutely explode, and they’ll need that power against Burns today. The Cubs have been a split-series machine, doing it in 22 of their 45 series so far. But here’s the kicker: they’re 9-11 in those deciding third games, and even worse, they’re 2-5 at home overall in those rubber matches. If they win one, then lose one, their home record in game three is a brutal 1-4. That lone home win came back on July 19 against the Twins, and since then, they’ve dropped deciders to the Yankees and Tigers. This is a huge rubber match.
Today’s game is the decider in this series, and it’s all about Imanaga finding his rhythm and the Cubs maintaining that offensive fire. Can they win a crucial third game at home and start this night game stretch on a high note? We’re all watching to see if Imanaga can truly put that ugly Seattle start behind him.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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