Takeaways After Cubs Rout Mariners 19-2 Despite Imanaga's Shortest Career Game

Win No. 75 comes with 19 runs scored, 4 home runs, and a big sigh of relief!

The Chicago Cubs (75-56) avoided a sweep against the Seattle Mariners (62-69) in a 19-2 rout on Sunday afternoon. Both Ian Happ and Pedro Ramirez hit grand slams and drove in 5 runs in a game the Cubs offense made sure the Mariners couldn't come back in.

Shota Imanaga had a rough outing, being pulled in the 3rd inning. However, the Cubs' bullpen rallied to throw 7 scoreless innings. The Cubs' offense also scored 12 of their 19 runs in the final two innings, with both teams throwing position players to close out the game.

It's a nice win to leave Seattle on despite dropping the series. Next up is Arizona, who are very much in the Wild Card chase along with the Cubs. But here are three takeaways from this 19-2 win over the Mariners!

Happ and the bats weren't giving this one away

Aug 23, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8) celebrates with right fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) and first baseman Michael Busch (29) after hitting a grand-slam home run against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning at T-Mobile Park. Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) kneels at right. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cubs did enough to win both of the first two games in this series with the Mariners, only to see the home team walk-off on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the Cubs found themselves down early 2-0 in the 3rd inning, until Michael Conforto hit a solo home run to put the Cubs on the board 2-1.

michael conforto touches 'em all in his hometown. pic.twitter.com/8k2eldcTBe
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 23, 2026

It was Conforto's 11th of the year and only his third home run in the 2nd half, but it was the start of a 5-run inning for the Cubs. All with two outs, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch, and Alex Bregman walked to load the bases for Ian Happ, who crushed a Bryce Wilson splitter off the right-field foul pole for his 22nd home run of the year.

happ homer... but make it GRAND. pic.twitter.com/f3h4ETUxRq
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 23, 2026

With the Cubs now leading 5-2, they would never look back, adding runs in the 5th and 6th and scoring a game-high 9 runs in the 8th inning. This was headlined by Pete Crow-Armstrong's 2-run laser to right field and Pedro Ramirez, hitting the second Grand Slam of the game to make it 16-2.

GRAND SLAM PEDRO RAMÍREZ‼️ pic.twitter.com/YM9sWAuaJ2
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 23, 2026

The Cubs would add three more runs in the 9th to make the final score 19-2 in a 17-hit performance from the Chicago bats. The Cubs stormed back from a 2-0 deficit and stole all the momentum from the Mariners on Happ's Grand Slam. After that, the bats didn't give up, and Aaron Civale shoved for the next 4 innings, shutting the door on the pesky Mariners.

Aaron Civale saves the day

Aug 23, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Aaron Civale (38) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Shota Imanaga did not have it today, allowing a leadoff home run to Saturday hero Randy Arozarena to start the outing. Imanaga managed to pitch around traffic in the first two innings and allowed only two runs, but after two singles to start the 3rd inning, Craig Counsell had seen enough and pulled his lefty starter after 72 pitches.

It was the shortest outing of Imanaga's career, per Morgan Montemurro, but after the Cubs had just fought back to take the lead in the top of the inning, Counsell wasn't going to risk losing it again with his struggling starter.

Enter Aaron Civale! He's a player who's been suggested as a possible DFA candidate the last few weeks, but he gave the Cubs four shutout innings. He entered the game in a messy 3rd inning and held the Mariners to just one hit.

Civale would give way to Trent Thornton and then Caleb Thielbar, who each pitched an inning with a strikeout from each. And then Carson Kelly finished out the game on the mound! With a 19-2 lead for the Cubs, he allowed one hit but zero runs, which apparently was the first time that had happened since 2014.

It's never a bad thing to be in the company of John Baker!

Carson Kelly: first Cubs position player with a scoreless mound appearance in a Cubs win since John Baker in the "John Baker Game" 7/29/2014
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) August 24, 2026

PCA builds on his MVP campaign

Going into Sunday's finale, Pete Crow-Armstrong was leading the league in fWAR at 8.5 with Shohei Ohtani behind him at 7.1 fWAR. Only Yordan Alvarez has a higher slugging percentage, and James Wood is the only player to have scored more runs than PCA's 91 on the year. Ohtani, Alvarez, and Willson Contreras are the only players with a higher OPS than Crow-Armstrong this year.

Add two more hits and 3 RBI after a 2-run home run today to PCA's tally, and he bumped his OPS to .938 and his home run total to 33. Crow-Armstrong also swiped his 32nd base of the year, officially putting him on pace for a 40-40 season – which would likely secure an MVP trophy for the 24-year-old superstar.

Crow Armstrong is also currently on pace for 10+ fWAR season that would challenge Roger Hornsby's 11 fWAR season in 1929, the best a Chicago Cub has ever posted. It's hard to describe PCA when he does something spectacular seemingly every day, becoming the franchise's first 40-40 player would cement it as one of the best single-seasons a player ever had.

PCA and the Cubs are on their way to Arizona now, where they face a Diamondbacks team nipping at the heels of the Padres for the final Wild Card spot. They'll need their MVP to keep playing like the league MVP.

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