The Chicago Cubs signaled their intention to contend this offseason by acquiring three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker, and they’ve backed that up with an impressive 18-12 record, currently leading the National League Central.
MLB.com’s Will Leitch even suggested that the Cubs are the top candidate in all of baseball—Dodgers included—to make the playoffs. However, the team had a brief scare on Tuesday when one of their top pitchers, Shōta Imanaga, exited a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after five scoreless innings. Imanaga, who signed a four-year,
$53 million deal with Chicago after a strong career in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, has quickly made an impact. In his MLB debut season last year, the 30-year-old lefty posted a 2.91 ERA—third-best in the NL—and led the league with a 6.21 strikeout-to-walk ratio, going 15-3 overall. This season,
he has a 3.18 ERA through a league-high six starts. On Tuesday, he allowed just six hits and no runs before leaving in the sixth inning due to what were later described as cramps in both legs. Cubs manager Craig Counsell reassured reporters afterward that Imanaga was feeling fine and there were no lingering concerns.
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