CINCINNATI – The last pitch Cubs starter Shota Imanaga threw Sunday was a slider breaking away from Reds left-handed hitter TJ Friedl, several baseball lengths off the plate. But Friedl chased it for strike three, shouting in frustration as he headed back to the dugout.
In the Cubs’ 4-2 win, Imanaga held the Reds to two runs in 6 u2154 innings, rebounding from two rough outings to look about as dominant as he had in the historic first nine starts of his major-league career.
“If you judge the body of work, it’s been exceptional,” manager Craig Counsell said before the game.