Michael Busch wasn’t shy about the place he stands on Cubs ace Shota Imanaga. After Imanaga tossed seven shutout innings in a 6-0 win over the Boston Crimson Sox on Saturday night time, the slugging first baseman summed it up: “He’s among the best pitchers on the planet.” And albeit, it’s getting exhausting to argue with that.
Imanaga has been nothing wanting elite since coming back from a hamstring harm in late June. In 5 begins since being activated from the IL, he’s gone 4-1 with a glowing 1.78 ERA. In opposition to two of essentially the most iconic franchises in baseball — the Yankees and the Crimson Sox — the left-hander gave up only one run over 14 mixed innings, with 11 strikeouts and solely two walks.
On Saturday, the Crimson Sox had no solutions. Imanaga scattered seven hits however didn’t permit a run, conserving Boston hitters off-balance with precision and poise. His efficiency helped Chicago (59-39) leapfrog Detroit for the perfect report in baseball.
“It’s mentally robust when that first pitch will get hit — particularly for a double,” Imanaga stated, reflecting on Rob Refsnyder’s leadoff knock. “At that second, I believed that it’s OK if I gave up a run. It’s extra necessary to stack up outs.”
Cubs win the collection over Crimson Sox, will go for the sweep on Sunday
Stack them up he did. Imanaga struck out Romy Gonzalez and Roman Anthony to finish the primary, then stored cruising from there. Cubs supervisor Craig Counsell praised the 31-year-old’s potential to lock in, saying, “That’s the character of pitching. You get locked in for 90 pitches, and the subsequent begin doesn’t promise you something. Shota is simply so good at getting individuals out.”
Behind Imanaga’s brilliance, the Cubs offense gave loads of help — and Busch received issues began early. Batting leadoff for the third straight recreation, the 27-year-old took the primary pitch he noticed, a 96.3 mph sinker from Brayan Bello, and deposited it into the left-field bleachers for his twentieth homer of the season.
“I’ve executed a bit of [leadoff hitting] in faculty and the minors,” Busch stated. “It’s a bit of completely different, nevertheless it’s sort of like main off an inning. You simply attempt to have your at-bat.”
The Cubs adopted his lead. Kyle Tucker went yard 4 pitches later, and Matt Shaw, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Ian Happ added solo photographs to finish the five-homer night time. The Cubs are actually 31-9 in video games the place they hit at the very least two homers, and so they’ve gone back-to-back 12 occasions this season.
Busch’s breakout marketing campaign continues to gasoline Chicago’s rise. After a stable rookie season in 2024, he’s now batting .289 with a .374 OBP, .926 OPS, 20 residence runs, and 60 RBIs — rating among the many high offensive producers on the roster.
“He’s simply grow to be an entire hitter,” Counsell stated. “He’s harmful. He’s received good plate self-discipline and energy. That’s a fairly darn good combo.”
The Cubs made a lineup tweak heading into the All-Star break, utilizing Busch within the leadoff spot towards righties and Nico Hoerner towards lefties. That shift additionally moved Ian Happ down within the order — a transfer Counsell stated he hopes will spark Happ offensively. The three-time Gold Glove winner got here into Saturday batting simply .129 with 17 strikeouts since June 26 however launched a solo homer within the eighth to assist pad the lead.
“Happ’s an necessary a part of this offense,” Counsell stated. “I feel he’s going to have a giant final two and a half months.” With elite pitching, well timed energy, and a quietly harmful lineup, the Cubs aren’t simply successful — they’re proving they’re constructed for October.