<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-counsells-reason-for-letting-shota-imanaga-face-manny-machado');   ga('set', 'title', 'Craig Counsell’s ‘simple’ reason for mistake of letting Cubs’ Shota Imanaga face Manny Machado');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Craig-Counsells-simple-reason-for-mistake-of-letting-Shota-Imanaga-face-Manny-Machado.jpg"><figcaption>Credit: Matt Marton</figcaption></figure><h1>Craig Counsell’s ‘simple’ reason for mistake of letting Cubs’ Shota Imanaga face Manny Machado</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-02T10:01:50-07:00">October 2nd, 10:01am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-02T10:38:39-07:00">October 2nd, 10:38am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/chris.spiering.3" rel="facebook">Chris Spiering</a>Chris Spiering graduated from the University of San Diego with a Communication Studies Degree. He spent his final year as the Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris manages the betting team at ClutchPoints and contributes about the NFL, MLB, and NBA, but he follows most sports, including NCAA Basketball. Chris also covers San Diego State men's basketball for East Village Times.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres forced a crucial winner-take-all finale on Wednesday when they defeated the Chicago Cubs 3-0. A major reason for the win was due to a masterclass pitching performance from the entire staff, and a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-craig-counsell-ripped-for-manny-machado-hr-on-shota-imanaga">two-run home run by Manny Machado</a> in the 5th inning to put the icing on the cake.</p><p>For Game 2, manager Craig Counsell decided to go with an opener, Andrew Kittredge, ahead of Shota Imanaga. Kittredge pitched a clean inning in Game 1, but he allowed the first run of the contest in the 1st inning by a sac-fly from Jackson Merrill. Imanaga replaced him in the second inning. The idea behind the opener was to give Imanaga one less opportunity to face the 1-5 hitters in the San Diego lineup. Imanaga pitched well until the fifth inning, when Machado (batting 3rd) stepped up to the plate with Fernando Tatis Jr. on second base.</p><p>With two outs in the inning, Counsell decided to leave his star pitcher on the mound.</p><p>In an article from The Athletic, Sahadev Sharma broke down what Counsill <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6681633/2025/10/01/cubs-loss-machado-pitch-imanaga/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">said postgame about the decision</a>.</p><p>“Look, the result suggested we should have done something different,” Counsell said. “Really just confidence in Shota, plain and simple, there. I thought he was pitching well, I thought he was throwing really well. Unfortunately, he made a mistake.”</p><p>The loss is not on Imanaga, as clearly the Cubs could not score a run. The offense must improve if they want to take down former Cub Yu Darvish on Thursday.</p><p>The same can be said about the Padres’ offense. Even Machado is aware that the offense isn’t playing up to par, including himself. Before the homer, he was hitless in the series.</p><p>“I don’t put a manager’s cap on,” Machado said. “I’m 0-for-6 at that point. So yeah, I’m not thinking about (being walked). For myself, I was just thinking about trying to get to Imanaga.”</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-chicago-reveals-starter-for-do-or-die-game-3-vs-padres">Cubs are sending Jameson Taillon</a> for Game 3 against <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-yu-darvish-game-3-cubs">Yu Darvish for the Friars</a>. The winner will head to Milwaukee for a best-of-five NLDS series.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Craig Counsell’s ‘simple’ reason for mistake of letting Cubs’ Shota Imanaga face Manny Machado

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-craig-counsell-ripped-for-manny-machado-hr-on-shota-imanaga');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs’ Craig Counsell ripped by Padres reporter for letting Shota Imanaga give up Manny Machado HR');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Craig-Counsell-ripped-by-Padres-reporter-for-letting-Shota-Imanaga-give-up-Manny-Machado-HR.jpg"><figcaption>Credit: Denis Poroy</figcaption></figure><h1>Cubs’ Craig Counsell ripped by Padres reporter for letting Shota Imanaga give up Manny Machado HR</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-01T14:20:08-07:00">October 1st, 2:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-01T14:21:37-07:00">October 1st, 2:21pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/chris.spiering.3" rel="facebook">Chris Spiering</a>Chris Spiering graduated from the University of San Diego with a Communication Studies Degree. He spent his final year as the Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris manages the betting team at ClutchPoints and contributes about the NFL, MLB, and NBA, but he follows most sports, including NCAA Basketball. Chris also covers San Diego State men's basketball for East Village Times.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres are in the middle of Game 2 in the best-of-three Wild Card series. The Cubs won Game 1 on Tuesday night thanks to back-to-back home runs from Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly. If the Cubs win one more game, they will advance to the NLDS to take on their division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers.</p><p>The Padres are aiming to bounce back from the Game 1 loss with a must-win to force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday. To start Game 2, Cubs manager <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-craig-counsell-bullpen-game-1-padres">Craig Counsell decided to go with an opener</a>, Andrew Kittredge. Kittredge allowed a first-inning run off a sacrifice fly from Jackson Merrill. The reason for the opener was to avoid Shota Imanaga (who replaced Kittredge) facing the heart of the Padres lineup. However, that backfired.</p><p>In the 5th inning, Manny Machado smashed a two-run home run to give San Diego a 3-0 lead.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">MANNY MACHADO WITH A 2-RUN HOMER 😤<a href="https://t.co/I4HsnvwZwi">pic.twitter.com/I4HsnvwZwi</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1973490113234825283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Padres beat reporter for MLB.com, AJ Cassavell, <a href="https://x.com/AJCassavell/status/1973487935879311442" rel="noopener">couldn’t understand</a> what Counsell was doing by letting Imanaga pitch to Machado.</p><p>“I cannot believe they let Shota Imanaga face Manny Machado with first base open. But they did. And Machado made the Cubs pay on Imanaga’s first pitch. It’s a two-run homer, and the Padres lead 3-0.”</p><p>He continued with a second post.</p><p>“Still don’t get it. Like, the whole point of using an opener in the first place was basically to avoid Machado-Imanaga, right? Welp, them’s the breaks, and the Padres sure capitalized.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/7dIiTctyHV">pic.twitter.com/7dIiTctyHV</a></p><p>— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) <a href="https://twitter.com/AJCassavell/status/1973488689402798270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>The Cubs still trail in this game 3-0 as the 7th inning is underway. If the Cubs are going to win this game, they will have to take on a nasty Padres bullpen to do so. The Padres bullpen is one of the best in the league, led by flamethrower Mason Miller.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs’ Craig Counsell ripped by Padres reporter for letting Shota Imanaga give up Manny Machado HR

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-shota-imanaga-champagne-celebration');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga grabs attention with unexpected champagne celly');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Chicago-Cubs-starting-pitcher-Shota-Imanaga.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga grabs attention with unexpected champagne celly</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-17T19:27:04-07:00">September 17th, 7:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-17T19:27:55-07:00">September 17th, 7:27pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs are playoff-bound for the first time since 2020, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-michael-busch-celebrates-shota-imanaga-vs-red-sox">pitcher Shota Imanaga</a> has suddenly become one of the faces of their postseason push. Following Chicago’s 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday, the clubhouse celebration took an unexpected turn — and went viral.</p><p>The moment came during the Cubs’ celebration after clinching a postseason berth by sweeping a three-game series in Pittsburgh. The 32-year-old lefty, who has quietly delivered another strong season in 2025, shared a lighthearted postgame quote that quickly made waves across the baseball world.</p><p>Rob Friedman, better known as Pitching Ninja, posted the clip on X (formerly known as Twitter), showing Imanaga covered in champagne with a <a href="https://x.com/PitchingNinja/status/1968417451361628272" rel="noopener">surprising explanation</a> for why he did it.</p><p>“I learned that with champagne instead of drinking it, you should absorb it with your skin. It feels better.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I learned that with champagne instead of drinking it, you should absorb it with your skin. It feels better." 🤣</p><p>–Shōta Imanaga 🍾 <a href="https://t.co/uEyfTBey61">pic.twitter.com/uEyfTBey61</a></p><p>— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1968417451361628272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The clip of Imanaga celebrating exploded online, drawing over 12,000 likes and 4,500 retweets within hours. The comment embodied the mood of a team having fun while handling its business on the field.</p><p>This year, the southpaw holds a 9-7 record with a 3.29 ERA and 110 strikeouts over 23 starts. His 2024 rookie season turned heads with a 15-3 record and 2.85 ERA, and he’s continued that momentum in his second year. His personality is now catching up to his production.</p><p>The club has rallied behind a rotation anchored by Matthew Boyd, Colin Rea, Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Cade Horton, and Ben Brown — a core group that has logged the most innings this season. Each has played a vital role in the team’s playoff push. Chemistry has defined the clubhouse throughout the year, and viral moments like the champagne celebration reflect the confidence and camaraderie that make this group dangerous heading into October.</p><p>Their personalities have complemented their performance, creating a clubhouse atmosphere that blends focus, fun, and belief in each other’s ability to win.</p><p>The viral MLB moment reveals more than just humor. It reflects confidence, joy, and leadership from one of the most important arms on the roster. In tight playoff games, the pitcher’s composure and presence could be the edge the team needs.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-chicago-ends-playoff-drought-with-commanding-win-over-pirates">As the Cubs playoff hopes are now reality</a>, Imanaga’s champagne moment may come to represent more than just a celebration — it’s a symbol of a club ready to make serious October noise.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga grabs attention with unexpected champagne celly

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-craig-counsell-shota-imanaga-didnt-have-anything-white-sox');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs’ Craig Counsell says Shota Imanaga ‘didn’t have anything’ vs. White Sox');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Shota-Imanaga-2.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cubs’ Craig Counsell says Shota Imanaga ‘didn’t have anything’ vs. White Sox</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-25T22:19:01-07:00">July 25th, 10:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-25T22:19:01-07:00">July 25th, 10:19pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs came into their crosstown series against the Chicago White Sox as the heavy favorites, as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cubs-rumors-chicagos-x-factor-trade-deadline">Cubs have established themselves as World Series contenders</a> while the White Sox have struggled to remain competitive once again in 2025. However, that didn’t matter when the two teams took the field for the opening game of the three-game set, as the White Sox dominated in a 12-5 win.</p><p>Cubs ace Shota Imanaga took the bump for the visitors and had one of the worst games of his entire career. He made it through just three full innings of work, giving up 12 hits and seven earned runs on 85 pitches. Imanaga didn’t give up a walk, but he only was able to strike out two batters in the game.</p><p>After the game, Cubs manager Craig Counsell <a href="https://x.com/WatchMarquee/status/1948939252571496482" rel="noopener">didn’t hold back</a> when talking about his star pitcher’s performance, via Marquee Sports Network.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“He just didn’t have anything tonight, and they made him pay for it.”</p><p>Shota Imanaga allowed 7 ER in 3.0 IP. <a href="https://t.co/Cn38Cvg33Y">pic.twitter.com/Cn38Cvg33Y</a></p><p>— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) <a href="https://twitter.com/WatchMarquee/status/1948939252571496482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“He just didn’t have anything tonight and they made him pay for it,” Counsell said. “Stuff wasn’t crisp. It wasn’t good.”</p><p>Imanaga wasn’t quite as hard on himself, but he <a href="https://x.com/WatchMarquee/status/1948941059305750604" rel="noopener">dissected his poor performance</a> after the game as well.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shota Imanaga speaks on his outing tonight. <a href="https://t.co/7iNbnMZma3">pic.twitter.com/7iNbnMZma3</a></p><p>— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) <a href="https://twitter.com/WatchMarquee/status/1948941059305750604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>” I need to work on my skills,” Imanaga said, through an interpreter. “I’ve had that in the past where maybe physically I don’t feel 100% or at my A-game, but I still manage to figure out ways to compete. Tonight, the opposition just came out on top. I just need to figure out a way to work on that.”</p><p>Imanaga drops to 7-4 with this loss, but his season-long numbers are still excellent. He entered the game with a 2.40 ERA in 13 starts, so they will still look pretty good even after this disastrous performance.</p><p>The Cubs still have two more cracks at their crosstown rivals over the weekend in the Crosstown Classic, and will be favored to win both games and come out on top in the series even after dropping the first game on Friday night. However, they will need to bring their best in order to beat a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/white-sox-news-colson-montgomery-keeps-home-run-streak-going-vs-cubs">White Sox team that has shockingly been one of the hottest units</a> in Major League Baseball since returning from the All-Star break.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs’ Craig Counsell says Shota Imanaga ‘didn’t have anything’ vs. White Sox

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-michael-busch-celebrates-shota-imanaga-vs-red-sox');   ga('set', 'title', 'Michael Busch celebrates Cubs ace Shota Imanaga after impressive showing vs. Red Sox');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Shota-Imanaga-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Michael Busch celebrates Cubs ace Shota Imanaga after impressive showing vs. Red Sox</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-20T01:12:01-07:00">July 20th, 1:12am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-20T01:12:01-07:00">July 20th, 1:12am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Michael Busch wasn’t shy <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cubs-news-cubs-shota-imanaga-earns-masterful-label-after-shutting-down-yankees">about where he stands on Cubs ace Shota Imanaga.</a> After Imanaga tossed seven shutout innings in a 6-0 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night, the slugging first baseman <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/michael-busch-s-leadoff-home-run-leads-cubs-to-series-win" rel="noopener">summed it up</a>: “He’s one of the best pitchers in the world.” And frankly, it’s getting hard to argue with that.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Fly the W 🙌<a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ken_Rosenthal</a> spoke with Michael Busch after the Cubs shutout win against the Red Sox at Wrigley ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/sd2BlHBjYz">pic.twitter.com/sd2BlHBjYz</a></p><p>— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1946783065067667939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cubs-shota-imanagas-injury-return-results-pitcher-dfa">Imanaga has been nothing short of elite since returning</a> from a hamstring injury in late June. In five starts since being activated from the IL, he’s gone 4-1 with a sparkling 1.78 ERA. Against two of the most iconic franchises in baseball — the Yankees and the Red Sox — the left-hander gave up just one run over 14 combined innings, with 11 strikeouts and only two walks.</p><p>On Saturday, the Red Sox had no answers. Imanaga scattered seven hits but didn’t allow a run, keeping Boston hitters off-balance with precision and poise. His performance helped Chicago (59-39) leapfrog Detroit for the best record in baseball.</p><p>“It’s mentally tough when that first pitch gets hit — especially for a double,” Imanaga said, reflecting on Rob Refsnyder’s leadoff knock. “At that moment, I thought that it’s OK if I gave up a run. It’s more important to stack up outs.”</p><h2><b>Cubs win the series over Red Sox, will go for the sweep on Sunday</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Shota-Imanaga-cover-1.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Stack them up he did. Imanaga struck out Romy Gonzalez and Roman Anthony to end the first, then kept cruising from there. Cubs manager Craig Counsell praised the 31-year-old’s ability to lock in, saying, “That’s the nature of pitching. You get locked in for 90 pitches, and the next start doesn’t promise you anything. Shota is just so good at getting people out.”</p><p>Behind Imanaga’s brilliance, the Cubs offense gave plenty of support — and Busch got things started early. Batting leadoff for the third straight game, the 27-year-old took the first pitch he saw, a 96.3 mph sinker from Brayan Bello, and deposited it into the left-field bleachers for his 20th homer of the season.</p><p>“I’ve done a little [leadoff hitting] in college and the minors,” Busch said. “It’s a little different, but it’s kind of like leading off an inning. You just try to have your at-bat.”</p><p>The Cubs followed his lead. Kyle Tucker went yard four pitches later, and Matt Shaw, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Ian Happ added solo shots to complete the five-homer night. The Cubs are now 31-9 in games where they hit at least two homers, and they’ve gone back-to-back 12 times this season.</p><p>Busch’s breakout campaign continues to fuel Chicago’s rise. After a solid rookie season in 2024, he’s now batting .289 with a .374 OBP, .926 OPS, 20 home runs, and 60 RBIs — ranking among the top offensive producers on the roster.</p><p>“He’s just become a complete hitter,” Counsell said. “He’s dangerous. He’s got good plate discipline and power. That’s a pretty darn good combo.”</p><p>The Cubs made a lineup tweak heading into the All-Star break, using Busch in the leadoff spot against righties and Nico Hoerner against lefties. That shift also moved Ian Happ down in the order — a move Counsell said he hopes will spark Happ offensively. The three-time Gold Glove winner came into Saturday batting just .129 with 17 strikeouts since June 26 but launched a solo homer in the eighth to help pad the lead.</p><p>“Happ’s an important part of this offense,” Counsell said. “I think he’s going to have a big last two and a half months.” With elite pitching, timely power, and a quietly dangerous lineup, the Cubs aren’t just winning — they’re proving they’re built for October.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
33	5.73	13	1.00	1

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
33	5.73	13	1.00	1

Shota Imanaga

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