The Chicago Cubs are currently fighting for playoff positioning within the crowded National League field, with the team holding on to the top wild-card spot.
Chicago has a record of 77-60 this year, sitting in second place within the NL Central division. But while the team is in a strong position entering the final month of the season, they have struggled of late.
The Cubs have gone 3-7 over the last 10 games, including the team dropping three straight series. Everything came to a head over the past weekend when Chicago lost two of three games to the rival Cincinnati Reds.
Within the series, starting pitcher Shota Imanaga struggled again, with the left-hander allowing six runs on eight hits over six innings. This included him giving up three home runs in the game, marking the sixth time this year he has allowed at least three in a game.
Imanaga’s struggles have been one of the larger issues for Chicago over the last month. The veteran has posted a 5.96 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP over 22.2 innings of work.
Overall, he’s posted a 4.01 ERA over 27 starts this year, throwing 150.1 innings. Imanaga was the first to call out his poor performance after the fact.
“The mistake pitches that I can’t throw end up in zones that they’re going to hit,” Imanaga said. “And here, those swings don’t end up in singles; those end up in home runs. There’s a lot of frustration within myself. But I need to be the one to figure it out.”
His issues have led people to call for Imanaga to lose his spot in the rotation heading into the final weeks of the year. However, manager Craig Counsell pushed back on this idea.
Craig Counsell Makes Shota Imanaga Decision
Counsell confirmed that, at least right now, Imanaga’s spot in the starting rotation isn’t in jeopardy.
“He’s not having a bad season,” Counsell said. “He’s having a pretty decent season. I wouldn’t say that at all, no. We need Shota. We need Shota to be good for us. So we have to work at helping him be better.”
The Cubs have relied heavily on Imanage all year, and while he’s been poor in August, the team is sticking by him. This should instill some confidence in the left-hander, but he knows that he needs to be better down the stretch for this club.
Should Cubs Bench Shota Imanaga?
Even with Imanaga’s struggles this month, the team may want to stick with him down the stretch. The veteran has shown that he can be dominant, posting a 1.53 ERA over five starts in July.
Imanaga will need to prove his worth to this team over the final few weeks of the season. If he can’t, the Cubs may have no choice but to bench him at some point.
This group is looking to solidify their playoff position, and they need to stack as many wins as possible right now. The Cubs now enter a crucial three-game series with the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, offering them a chance to build some momentum.