CHICAGO – Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga spun around on the mound, grimaced and threw his head back, looking to the heavens. Manny Machado tossed away his bat and turned to his Padres teammates in the first-base dugout,

Shota Imanaga is maintaining a positive outlook after giving up a season-high eight runs in the Chicago Cubs’ 8-5 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday.

An unexpected decision by the Cubs manager in the fifth inning of Game 2 helped the Padres secure their lead in a must-win game.

Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson persisted through a near-collision with third baseman Matt Shaw and caught the ball as he toppled into the netting. He threw it back to Shaw for a relay that beat the Mets’ Francisco Lindor to the plate.

Shota Imanaga to look like he did last year in his rookie outing. For the first half of the season, he did, but tha

The Cubs return to Wrigley Field with a chance to clinch the Wild Card series and move on in the MLB postseason. Follow along here for live updates from Wrigley Field.

Imanaga, 32, has mastered the so-called rising fastball which relies on physics as much as physical skill. At the University of Illinois, professor Alan Nathan has become one of the foremost experts on the science of baseball.

Chicago Cubs World Series preview featuring Nico Hoerner, Shota Imanaga, and Michael Busch’s impact for 2025 championship hopes.