Shota Imanaga emerged from the Cubs’ bullpen and spread a towel on the outfield grass Sunday morning.
Sunbathing? Not quite. The Cubs game against the Toronto Blue Jays had just been postponed, which meant Imanaga had been scratched from his scheduled start that day. It hadn’t yet begun to rain, so Imanaga was availing himself of a chance to do some “Superman” stretches, then some long-tossing and running in the outfield before heading inside.
Manager Craig Counsell said Imanaga will open the Cubs’ four-game series in New York against the Mets Monday night. After that, Counsell said, his pitching plans are undecided. Left-hander Matthew Boyd struck out seven in four scoreless innings in a rehab assignment Saturday in Class A South Bend so his return to the rotation is imminent.
The rainout wiped out Imanaga’s chance to renew a long-standing rivalry against Blue Jays slugger Kazuma Okamoto, whose three-run, eighth-inning home run off Jacob Webb brought the Blue Jays all the way back from a five-run deficit in their 8-6 win over the Cubs Saturday.
Okamoto’s home run was his team-leading 16th of the season, double that of runner up George Springer. Okamoto also has struck out 99 times, sixth-most in baseball, two behind the Cubs’ Ian Happ.
Toronto’s big ticket, Vladi Guerrero, who led the majors in home runs in 2021 with 48 and has never hit fewer than 23 in a full season, is locked in an Alex Bregman-like funk, with just four home runs to date. Okamoto also has struck out 99 times, sixth-most in baseball, two behind the Cubs’ Ian Happ.
In Japan’s Central League, where Imanaga pitched for the Yokohama Bay Stars, he faced Okamoto, star slugger of the Yomiuri Giants, on frequent occasions. In 56 plate appearances (48 at-bats), Imanaga gave up three home runs to Okamoto, who batted .271 overall (13 for 48) against the Japanese left-hander while striking out 14 times.
On the podcast “Foul Territory” in spring training, Imanaga had joked about being taken deep by Okamoto and another recent arrival, White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami.
“I joked that some of the home runs they hit off me should be part of their contract [negotiations],’’ Imanaga said.
When he faces the Mets Monday night, Imanaga will be attempting to end a seven-game winless streak (four losses, three no-decisions). He hasn’t been credited with a win in six weeks, his last coming on May 7 against the Reds.
Makeup date for Jays Aug. 6
Sunday’s postponement has been rescheduled for 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6, a mutual off-day for both teams. The Cubs will be coming off six games at Wrigley Field against the Yankees and Dodgers. They’ll play the Blue Jays, then open a series in Kansas City against the Royals the next night.
The Blue Jays lose a day off after playing in Houston. They’ll go to Chicago, then resume their trip the next night in Philadelphia.
Fans holding tickets for Sunday’s game will have their tickets automatically updated in the MLB ballpark app, according to the club. No ticket exchange is necessary.
PCA=OMG
Some truly astonishing numbers on Pete Crow-Armstrong from the crack Cubs media relations department.
PCA’s home run Saturday was his fourth in the last five games,
extending his career-high on-base streak to 23 games dating to
May 26, and his hitting streak to 10 games. During his on-base streak, he is batting .412 (40 for 97) with seven doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 17 RBIs and a 1.033 OPS.
His .835 slugging percentage, 1.303 on-base plus slugging percentage and 40 hits during his on-base streak all lead the major leagues in that stretch, while his .412 average is second.
His nine home runs in June lead the majors, and his 4.6 Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs, leads major league position players and trails only two-way Shohei Ohtani (5.3 WAR).