LOS ANGELES — Shota Imanaga isn’t known for throwing his sweeper much.
The sweeper has accounted for only 14% of his pitches thrown this year, well behind his four-seam fastball and splitter usage. However, it became one of his go-to pitches Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers when he didn’t have a great feel for his best two pitches early. Imanaga uncharacteristically walked three batters in the Cubs’ 6-0 loss at Dodger Stadium, including two in the Dodgers’ three-run first inning.
Imanaga hadn’t issued two walks in an inning in more than a year, spanning 154 innings to April 15, 2025, against the Padres. He settled in after shaky command in the opening frame, but the Cubs offense couldn’t get anything going, finishing with just four hits.
“He certainly pitched well after that,” manager Craig Counsell said. “And he got us in the game, and if anything, there’s never really a consolation, but we’ve freshened up some bullpen guys and should be in good shape (next series).”
The uptick in Imanaga’s sweeper usage Sunday, accounting for 29% of his pitches, was a cue in helping him get back on line with the rest of his repertoire.
“I want to make that adjustment and limit those runs in the first inning for the next start,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry.
The Cubs (17-11) dropped the series to the Dodgers after taking the first game Friday with a comeback victory that extended their winning streak to 10 games, their longest since 2016. As they head to San Diego for a three-game set against the Padres beginning Monday, here are three takeaways from the Cubs’ series loss to the defending World Series champions.
The Cubs can’t seem to get through a series without another injury impacting the bullpen.
Left-hander Riley Martin was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with left elbow inflammation. The severity of Martin’s injury isn’t yet known. He will return to Chicago to be examined and undergo imaging. The Cubs should have better clarity early this week.
In corresponding moves, left-hander Charlie Barnes and right-hander Yacksel Ríos were called up from Triple-A Iowa and right-hander Vince Velasquez, who threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in Saturday’s loss, was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Ríos. The Cubs now have six relievers and 12 players from their 40-man roster on the IL.
“The next guy’s got to do his job, that’s kind of where we’re at with this,” Counsell said Sunday. “We’ve had a number of guys get opportunities, we’ve got guys coming back soon, and so that’s a good thing. But again, the injuries have an effect eventually.”
Veteran right-hander Phil Maton will be activated from the IL during the Cubs’ upcoming series in San Diego. Right-hander Ethan Roberts (laceration on right middle finger) is also nearing a return. He made a rehab appearance at Triple A on Saturday and will make one more outing with Iowa before rejoining the team. Daniel Palencia (left lat strain) has a big bullpen session on Tuesday in San Diego, which will determine his next steps and how close their closer is to coming back.
“We’re dealing with a real challenge from a bullpen standpoint, and I’ll give guys credit, we’ve had a lot of unexpected performances out of guys that have really helped,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Saturday. “But we do need to stabilize and get healthy.
“We’ve put Iowa in a tough spot a lot because we’re just constantly getting arms from them, and I feel badly about that, but that’s what has to happen and we’ve had some tough breaks.”
In both of the Cubs’ losses to the Dodgers, they had opportunities to cut into the deficit by putting runners on base but failed to cash in.
The Cubs went 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position Saturday and Sunday while leaving 19 on base. Their best chances Sunday came in the first two innings when the Cubs had runners on. But both times, Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski recovered from falling behind 3-0 to Seiya Suzuki and Nico Hoerner, respectively, to strike them out in the first and second innings.
Hoerner’s sequence was especially tough. The Cubs loaded the bases and had their best contact hitter up with one out. Hoerner thought he had drawn a run-scoring walk, challenging the 3-1 pitch, but the Automated Ball-Strike System showed Wrobleski’s fastball just touched the up-and-away corner. He followed with a fastball up and out of the zone and got Hoerner to chase for the strikeout.
“Those were our big opportunities, you need to kind of reverse one of those situations and we get runs on the board,” Counsell said.
The Cubs’ approach has largely been solid this season, often yielding plenty of run-scoring chances on a daily basis. Through Sunday’s game, the Cubs’ 337 plate appearances with RISP lead MLB. More often than not, it should result in runs despite falling short Saturday and Sunday.
“We just didn’t execute and come through in those moments and that’s what this team does, is we come through in those moments and today was a day we just didn’t,” catcher Carson Kelly said. “We just continue to have good at-bats and continue to put pressure on defenses and the pitching staff.”