The Chicago Cubs are being urged to bench a key starting pitcher as they look to nail down a playoff spot. Chicago was recently defeated by the Cincinnati Reds on August 30. The loss means that the Cubs are now tied with the Philadelphia Phillies atop the National League wild card race. Cincinnati was fueled to victory by scoring six runs off of Chicago’s starting pitcher, Shota Imanaga.
Not only did the star give up six runs in just five innings, but he allowed three home runs on the day. While Imanaga has posted a fairly respectable 4.01 ERA and 1.14 WHIP on the season, homers are an issue for him. In fact, the starter has given up three or more home runs in a game six times throughout the current campaign. He most recently allowed three homers in a game back on August 11.
Because of these struggles, 104.3 The Score’s David Haugh believes that the Chicago Cubs should be benching Imanaga.”Not to pick on Shota Imanaga, but he was again a liability and a reason why the Cubs lost that game,” said Haugh. “Three home runs. Have you seen that before? Yes. During this decent season, he’s done it six times… that was history.”
“Shota Imanaga, according to Opta, is the only lefty to give up three or more home runs six times in one season,” continued the radio host. “Nobody in Major League Baseball has given up more home runs in the last three years than Shota’s 91. Skip a start. Do whatever is necessary.”
Chicago Cubs Previously Signed Shota Imanaga to $22 Million Deal
After the recent loss, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell made some interesting comments regarding Imanaga’s struggles. According to the coach, giving up home runs is just the “nature of his repertoire.” He, however, did acknowledge that allowing three homers in one game is “too many” for any pitcher. This is especially the case when runners are on base at the time of the round-trippers.
Chicago previously declined a three-year team option to bring back Imanaga after the 2025 season. By doing so, the star pitcher was set to become a free agent last winter. Nevertheless, the starter eventually accepted a one-year, $22 million qualifying offer from the Cubs. As a result, he will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 campaign.
Chicago Has Roster Flexibility to Skip Imanaga’s Next Start
The Chicago Cubs will not have to make a decision on Imanaga’s next start until they face the Miami Marlins at the weekend. For now, Chicago has named Clay Holmes, Matthew Boyd, David Peterson, and Kevin Gausman as probable starters to face the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs are currently eight games back of the Central-leading Brewers.
Nevertheless, as Haugh pointed out, the North Siders are not necessarily chasing Milwaukee at this point. In fact, the radio host suggests that Chicago would be thrilled with a split against the Brewers.
If Counsell wanted to temporarily sit Imanaga, he does have options in his rotation. The Chicago Cubs recently acquired Holmes and Gausman before the trade deadline. The moves give the Cubs six available starting pitchers for now. Because of this, skipping Imanaga’s next start would not necessarily create a roster issue.