The Chicago Cubs may have taken the series loss to the Braves on Wednesday, but Shota Imanaga still showed up and posted solid numbers against the best team in baseball right now. Though the loss was donned upon Imanaga after the smoke cleared, he still managed to throw for seven innings, with five hits and only two earned runs. Additionally, six strikeouts and zero walks made for an excellent showing that didn't deserve an L next to it.
Imanaga gave the Cubs every chance to win
No matter which direction you look at this from, Imanaga wasn't the problem. On a different night when the offense could muster together enough hits to be competitive, Shota's walking away with the win. The Cubs only put together four total hits, and out of it only came a Nico Hoerner RBI single on his birthday to drive in a run.
The Cubs needed to show up and play some elite level baseball to top the Braves, but it's a far cry from what actually happened. It seems the Cubs pulled out all of the stops just a little too early.
"“He pitched wonderfully. He did a great job, and it's a shame we couldn't just do a little more on the other side of the ball to get him some runs.”"Craig Counsell
It's a feat alone to get through seven innings of baseball in under 100 pitches, but Imanaga has achieved that too. His command of the strike zone was excellent and he was consistently forcing Atlanta batters into early swings. It was another excellent outing from the Cubs already thing pitching staff.
The Cubs offense has seen some highs and lows, but the fact remains: Imanaga deserved the win. But baseball is a team sport, and just because one player had a spectacular game doesn't mean the team earned a win. Especially not against the team to beat in the National League. With Wednesday's loss, the Cubs remain snugly in second place in NL.
If the Cubs intend to support their own pitching staff when they need it the most, something needs to be done on offense. Many fans are frustrated with Counsell and his decisions, but that's just a part of baseball, and its simply not fair to Counsell to make that argument.
Against a Braves lineup that has punished pitchers all season long, Shota Imanaga still looked composed from the first inning through the seventh. The Cubs may have left Atlanta with another loss, but Wednesday’s result had very little to do with the man on the mound.
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