Shota Imanaga Delivers Exactly What Cubs Need Amid Pitching Injury Crisis

It is a sight for sore eyes to finally see the old Shota Imanaga return for Chicago which was on full display in their unfortunate loss to the Pirates.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.s | David Richard-Imagn Images

Most of the time, when a team loses a game after an immaculate display by the starting pitcher, his highlight reel is completely lost. That was the case for Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga in his third start of 2026.

There isn't much more that either manager Craig Counsell or president Jed Hoyer could have asked of Imanaga, as he put in a stellar performance on Friday.

Imanaga is looking like the team's ace after pitching six innings without a single hit, let alone a run scored. To add onto that impressive stat line, he struck out nine batters by the time he was replaced by Caleb Thielbar in the top of the seventh inning.

NINE strikeouts
ZERO hits

Have yourself a day, Shota Imanaga 😮 pic.twitter.com/AnjfNeKR6F

— MLB (@MLB) April 10, 2026

It might be easy to blame Thielbar for the loss after Bryan Reynolds hit a 385-foot two-run homer, but the Cubs were shut out. No team will win a game without scoring, but a quality start was wasted, something that this ballclub can absolutely not afford.

The injuries have piled up sky-high for the Cubs, including Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd. The loss of Horton is even more devastating, as he will be gone for the entirety of 2026 after emerging as one of the best pitchers in the NL last year.

Boyd will return sooner rather than later with a bicep strain, but the rotation is as thin as it can be, as Justin Steele remains on IL until later in the season. Seeing Imanaga look like himself is a breath of fresh air, but if the offense continues to waste starts like this, they will find themselves in a hole that they cannot dig themselves out of.

Imanaga's 2026 highlights

He might not have been the Opening Day starter as Boyd took that honor, but he is easily making Counsell regret that decision as he leads the team (amongst starters) in strikeouts (20).

Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Wrigley Field. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

There are actually five starters with 20+ strikeouts in the National League, with Imanaga complementing that with a 0.81 WHIP and .161 opponent's batting average.

Following the loss, it will be Edward Cabrera who takes the mound next. Cabrera will definitely give the Cubs the best shot at redemption in Game 2. He has pitched nearly 12 innings without allowing a run scored, and if he performs as well as he has during his first two outings, they can easily tie this series with some offensive support.

Chicago now sits last in its division as the lone team with a losing record (6-7). Imanaga is up for the challenge to carry the starting rotation, so now the bats need to wake up.