Shota Imanaga threw four scoreless innings in a rehab game Saturday in Arizona as the Cubs’ All-Star starting pitcher works his way back from the strained hamstring that’s had him on the shelf for more than a month.
Imanaga gave up three hits but walked none and struck out four against rookie-ball competition.
Imanaga, who threw two scoreless innings in his first rehab outing Monday in Arizona, is slated for at least one more rehab start before returning to the major league team, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Saturday. His next outing is expected to come with Triple-A Iowa.
Imanaga’s eventual return figures to provide a much needed boost for a Cubs starting staff that’s pitched without him and fellow All-Star arm Justin Steele for much of the season.
The rotation has performed well, with the starters’ ERA at 3.88 after Matthew Boyd’s six innings of one-run ball in Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Pirates.
“My job is my job, whether it’s pitching in a rotation with the guys that are in it right now or the guys that were in it on Opening Day or any other [combination],” Boyd said. “I’ll always welcome those guys back, Shota and Steeley. They’re amazing talents, and they make our team better when they’re on the field.
“We know what we’re asked. We know what we expect of ourselves when the ball’s in our hands. Circumstances don’t change that.”
The Cubs sure hope Boyd doesn’t change a thing. The offseason free-agent acquisition has been an anchor in the rotation, with a 2.79 ERA this season.
Slump buster for Swanson?
It’s been a rough stretch at the plate for shortstop Dansby Swanson. But he launched a two-out solo homer to break a 1-all tie in the sixth inning Saturday, his 13th long ball of the year and a positive moment as he looks to break out of a fairly deep slump.
“It’s what power does for you,” Counsell said after the game. “A two-out homer when there’s no rally going. It’s been a strength of this team, the power throughout the lineup that lets you put a run on the board without much going on.
“Thirteen [home runs] from your shortstop in the middle of June? That’s pretty darn good.”
Saturday’s swat has Swanson on pace for nearly 30 home runs this season, which would set a new career high. But he still owns some ugly numbers over his last 20 games, hitting .182 with a .207 on-base percentage.
The current stretch mirrors his funk earlier this season, when he hit .188 with a .233 on-base percentage in the month of April.
Of course, Swanson, a two-time Gold Glove winner, has contributed his typically stellar defense and done plenty more to help the Cubs to their spot atop the NL Central standings.
“I’ve learned in this game you’ve just got to show up every day and do your job, be prepared to help this group win, whether it’s offensively or in the field, running the bases,” Swanson said. “There’s so many different ways to do it.
“We take pride in being good at everything and continue to put in the work to be that way.”
Perfect Porter
Relief pitcher Porter Hodge pitched a 1-2-3 inning, with one strikeout, in a rehab outing with Iowa on Friday.
Counsell said Hodge will pitch for the I-Cubs again Tuesday as the right-hander works his way back from a hip impingement that has elongated an injured-list stay that started with a strained oblique.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
