Imanaga (7-1) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-1 victory over the Cardinals, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.
The 30-year-old rookie delivered his eighth quality start in his first 13 big-league outings on 103 pitches (69 strikes), with the only run against Imanaga coming after a leadoff double by Alec Burleson in the fourth inning. Imanaga will take a 1.89 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 78:11 K:BB through 76 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Mets.
Imanaga (6-1) picked up the win Sunday against the Reds, allowing two earned runs on five hits and one walk in 6.2 innings. He struck out seven.
Imanaga notched his seventh quality start of the season despite allowing a home run for the third consecutive start. The southpaw struggled in his previous two appearances, allowing 12 runs (eight earned) in just 8.2 innings. Despite the recent rough patch, the 30-year-old rookie has been excellent this season, pitching to a 1.96 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP with an elite 72:11 K:BB in 69 innings. He will look to build off Sunday's start his next time out, currently scheduled for next weekend versus the Cardinals.
Imanaga allowed five runs (one earned) on seven hits and struck out six without walking a batter over 4.1 innings in a no-decision versus the White Sox on Tuesday.
Christopher Morel's fielding error in the fourth inning was costly, as the White Sox rallied against Imanaga. The southpaw ultimately exited in the fifth after just 69 pitches (48 strikes), and the Cubs rallied to get him off the hook. After a historically strong first nine major-league starts, Imanaga has been tagged for 12 runs (eight earned) over 8.2 innings in his last two appearances. He's now at a 1.88 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 65:10 K:BB over 62.1 innings. His control remains sharp, so it's likely this recent poor stretch is just a bit of regression that he'll have to work through.
