Cubs Hit Four Home Runs; Smack Pirates in Series Opener
The hottest offense in baseball stayed hot on Tuesday night as the Chicago Cubs clobbered the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 9-0 in the opener of a three-game set. This was the Cubs’ first division game of the season after opening with the toughest schedule in baseball by opposing team win percentage. The Cubs were dominant on both sides of the ball as Shota Imanaga contributed five strong shutout innings before leaving with what is hopefully a minor injury, and the bullpen was able to slam the door shut the rest of the way. Here is how the Cubs were able to sink the Buccos’ ship in the series opener.
The Cubs were playing long ball as Carson Kelly, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Seiya Suzuki each had a two-run home run, and Dansby Swanson added a solo blast. Chicago’s offense had 13 total hits in this game, to go along with five walks, as they continued to get runners on, move them over, and drive them in at a high rate. Kyle Tucker and Kelly accounted for the other two Cubs’ runs with RBI singles. They worked the starting pitcher for the Pirates, Andrew Heaney, and knocked him out in just four and two-thirds innings. This forced Pittsburgh to use five bullpen arms in this game, which could prove to be a factor in the next couple of days of this series if the Pirates’ bullpen appears to get worn down.
There is obvious concern for Shota Imanaga, especially given that Chicago has already lost its other left-handed pitcher, Justin Steele, for the season with an elbow injury. They can not afford for Imanaga to be out for a long period of time. There should be clearer news in the coming days as to what the injury could mean for Shota moving forward, but manager Craig Counsell was able to provide some comforting news after the game when asked about the injury, stating, “He feels fine now, no issues,” said Counsell. As for now, the Cubs have to be pleased with what they saw on the mound to start this series. They will look for Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea to follow up Imanaga’s effort with similar ones of their own in the next two games of this series.
