Earlier today the Cubs dropped the first game of the MLB season 4-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The game, which took place in Tokyo, was a homecoming for Cubs ace Shota Imanaga.
An unexpected showing from Shota
Shota had a very uncharacteristic day on the mound. He walked four batters in four innings after not walking more than three in any of his starts last season. Also, his BB/9 last season was a measly 1.5, meaning this outing was a true anomaly for him.
But despite the free passes he was still dominant. In his four innings of work, he allowed zero hits, and zero runs while striking out two on 69 pitches. But after the fourth inning, Imanga was pulled in favor of Ben Brown to start the fifth.
The inning after Imanaga was pulled, the Cubs allowed three runs to the Dodgers. Two would be registered to Brown, who allowed four hits, three walks and struck out five in his 2.2 innings of work.
This inning gave the Dodgers a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
The Cubs had a plan all along
Cubs fans immediately took to social media to question Manager Craig Counsell’s decision to pull Imanaga. But we would later find out this was the Cub’s plan all along.
In a post-game interview, Counsell said “Shota managed it really well and I thought he pitched excellent, not hits and a lot of weak contact”. He also said, “Getting to 70 pitches was the number we had for Shota, and after he finished that inning it was the right time to take him out”.
This tells me two things regarding the Cub’s plan for Imanaga. First, the Cubs were hoping for a more efficient pitch count that would get him through 5-6 innings. Imanaga was not as efficient with his pitch count as he usually was last season. His career high in walks certainly played a part in that.
Next, it tells me the Cubs were not interested in stretching Imanaga to his limits in Game 1. For better or worse, they want to conserve their ace for the long season instead.
Additionally, the deployment of Ben Brown in a long relief appearance is telling. That decision means the Cubs are interested in stretching him out further. They likely have hopes to make him an end-of-the-rotation starter come the season’s end.
When asked about his performance Imanaga remarked “Giving up runs is giving them momentum, so that’s why I’m trying to eliminate any runs.”
He’s not wrong. It’s much preferred that he allows zero runs to score in a shorter outing than allow several but goes deep into a game. Perhaps there is a time toward the end of the season when a starter going deep would benefit the team by resting an exhausted bullpen, but this is not that circumstance today.
Hindsight is 20/20
Imanaga should also not be blamed for the Cubs lack of offense today. It’s hard to beat the Dodgers in general, but especially when you only muster one run on three hits. Pair that with some shaky defense, and there is plenty of blame to go around in this one. I don’t believe the decision to pull Imanaga lost the Cubs this game.
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