Chicago Cubs ace Shota Imanaga pitched seven solid innings in his team's 5-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals looked to make some noise in the seventh, putting runners on first and second with one out. But Imanaga retired Dylan Carlson on a flyball and struck out Brendan Donovan, preserving a 2-1 lead.
Imanaga pumped his arm as he struck out Donovan. The rookie finished with a career-high 103 pitches, 69 for strikes.
Afterward he got brutally honest on his train of thought while getting out of the seventh inning jam, per Marquee Sports Network:
Said Imanaga, “I was pretty hungry, so I was thinking about what kind of food and nutrition I should take after the game … This is my honest thoughts.”
Imanaga allowed one run and four hits in his second straight win. The Cubs left-hander struck out six and walked none while improving to 3-0 with a 1.31 ERA in his first seven starts at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs snapped a two-game losing skid with the win.
Cubs looking to acquire a star at one of the corners?
The Chicago Cubs may be three games below .500 at the moment, but amid the mediocrity that is the NL Wild Card race, they are firmly within striking distance of a playoff spot. Chicago sits just a half game back of the San Francisco Giants for the third and final Wild Card spot, and with less than two months to go before the trade deadline, the Cubs appear to be positioning themselves as a buying team.
In fact, the Cubs may be big-game hunting, if the rumors are any indication. They are currently linked to New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso and Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Guerrero Jr. would be an interesting acquisition for the Cubs if they push through with a deal. Chicago currently has Michael Busch manning first base for them, which is Guerrero's preferred position. Still, if a deal arises for a player of his caliber, you do the trade first and find ways later. Guerrero has returned to playing third base occasionally for the Jays, and there's no reason he wouldn't do that for another hypothetical team.
The Mets are rumored to be gearing up to trade Alonso before the July 30 deadline. If he's made available, he would instantly be the biggest power bat on the move.
The Cubs were first link to a potential deal for Alonso last season, and the rumors haven't quieted down since.
Should Chicago land one of the two stars, they could potentially make some noise in a National League Central that has left the door wide open.
