Imanaga puts on a show as Cubs stay hot |
MESA — Spring Training may not mean much to the casual MLB fan, but for those who understand what Spring is all about, the next two weeks are vital for the Chicago Cubs. With just two weeks to go until the season opener, coaches start treating Spring games like regular season games, as they want to be as prepared as possible.
What that means for the Cubs is simple: Give your regulars as many at-bats and innings as possible to ensure they are ready for game one. If the past few games have told us anything about this team, not only are they more relaxed than they were a season ago, but they are starting to play some good baseball. They have now won four straight and six of their last seven after taking down the Oakland A's 3-1 on Thursday. Shota Imanaga was back on the mound for the Cubs, and he picked a great time to have his best outing of the Spring. Despite striking five hitters in each of his first two starts, Imanaga was bitten by the long ball, which he will need to work on. Today was a step in the right direction for that, as he gave Counsell and the Cubs 4 1/3 shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out nine. The Spring Training Sho(ta) was on full display 📺🍿 pic.twitter.com/pxksUcdP0i That was the kind of outing the Cubs needed from him, as fellow left-hander JP Sears was on the bump for the A's. Like Imanaga, Sears was very good, as he gave Oakland five impressive innings of two-run ball to go with three strikeouts. The first of the runs allowed came two batters into the game when Nico Hoerner led off the bottom of the first with a single before racing home on the Seiya Suzuki double. Seiya gets us started early! pic.twitter.com/mZymUHjcUL This has been a crucial spring for Suzuki, who is coming off of one of the best second halves in baseball last season and hopes to put together a full six-month stretch. With the lead, Imanaga was able to settle in from the start, as the Ryan Noda single with one out in the third was the only base runner he allowed through three innings. He would then allow a single in each of the next two innings before ending his outing, but that was it, as the A's couldn't get anything going against him. The same can be said for Sears, who was equally as tough, minus the game's first two hitters. Still holding a 1-0 lead in the fourth, the Cubs' offense started to heat up. Cody Bellinger led things off with a single before advancing to second on a hit by pitch. After Michael Busch delivered another single to load the bases two batters later, Mike Tauchman drove in the winning run, as his sacrifice fly gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. That would be the final run for quite a while, as the pitching took center stage right from the start. Following the start by Imanaga, Cam Sanders finished off the fifth inning before Yency Almonte took over in the sixth. Almonte made quick work of the A's in their half of the sixth, while Dany Jimenez did the same to the Cubs. It took seven innings for Oakland to break through, and that came off the new pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. Another surprising player this Spring, Edwards battled through some command issues as a lead-off walk to Brent Rooker proved costly as he would advance to second on a wild pitch. That set things up for Armando Alvarez, whose RBI single pulled the A's to within 2-1 late. Edwards went on to walk the bases loaded later in the inning, only to have Daniel Palencia save the day. Chicago added the game's final run in the bottom half of the eighth, as David Bote connected for homer No. 5 off former Cub Sean Newcomb to extend the lead to 3-1. David Bote sends one out! pic.twitter.com/WB32IeXxWh Whatever Bote has done this offseason appears to be paying off, as he has a great shot to make the opening-day roster as a utility option or possibly the starting third baseman with Nick Madrigal on the shelf. Looking to lock things down in the ninth, Counsell called upon Edwin Escobar, and the left-hander made quick work to retire the A's to seal the 3-1 win. Both the Cubs and A's had six hits in the game, as Suzuki led the way for Chicago with two hits, both doubles. Busch, Bote, Hoerner, and Bellinger added the rest of the hits for the Cubs, who get set to take on the White Sox Friday and the Prospect breakout game. All smiles at @SloanParkMesa! 😄 Cubs win!
Imanaga: 4.1 IP, 9 K, 0 R
Suzuki: 2-for-3, RBI
Bote: HR pic.twitter.com/a5Bj4vmYUG
Final: #Cubs 3, Athletics 1. pic.twitter.com/S6dN4YDZUh
