Chicago Cubs starter Shota Imanaga delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Chicago.
11:11 JST, June 16, 2024
CHICAGO (AP) — Shota Imanaga pitched seven effective innings and Ian Happ hit a three-run homer to help the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Saturday.
Imanaga allowed one run and four hits in his second straight victory. The Japanese southpaw struck out six and walked none while improving to 3-0 with a 1.31 ERA in his first seven starts at Wrigley Field.
“He threw an incredible game,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I thought his fastball was so good today. Just his location with his fastball was excellent all day.”
Chicago had lost three of four and 15 of 21. It was the team’s first win in four games against rival St. Louis this season.
The Cardinals threatened in the seventh, putting runners on first and second base with one out. But Imanaga (7-1) retired Dylan Carlson on a flyball and struck out Brendan Donovan to maintain a 2-1 lead.
Imanaga pumped his left arm emphatically after Donovan swung and missed a 134.1 mph sweeper for strike three on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. The rookie finished with a career-high 103 pitches, 69 for strikes.
When asked what he was thinking when he retired Donovan, Imanaga said he was “pretty hungry.”
“So I was thinking about what kind of food I would have after the match,” he said through an interpreter. “These are my honest thoughts.”
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga celebrates after striking out St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan during the seventh inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Chicago. Chicago won 5-1.
The Cubs (34-37) then broke the game open in the bottom half. With two outs and two on, Happ drove a 1-2 slider from John King deep to left-center for his seventh home run.
“To not have to give the bullpen a one-run lead and ask them to hold it, you know it was great,” Happ said.
St. Louis (34-35) finished with four hits. It had won three in a row and four of five to get back to .500.
“(Imanaga) did a really good job,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “That mix of the quadruplets with the split was obviously tough for the boys. We couldn’t string much of him together.”
The Cardinals jumped in front on Nolan Arenado’s sacrifice fly in the fourth, but the Cubs responded with two runs in the bottom half.
Andre Pallante (2-3) left with one out and runners on first and second base. Chris Roycroft came in and mishandled Nico Hoerner’s grounder down the first base line, allowing Cody Bellinger to score. Seiya Suzuki raced home on a grounder by Dansby Swanson in front of the plate.
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages in front, picks up the ball as Chicago Cubs’ back Seiya Suzuki, scores on a grounder by Dansby Swanson during the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Chicago.
Pallante was charged with one earned run and five hits. He pitched five scoreless innings in a 5-1 win over Colorado in his previous start.
“I felt like my stuff was really good,” he said. “I had very good control of the ball. I think some of the hits they got were on really good pitches.
