Shota Imanaga bitten by long ball in first start of season

The Cubs and left-hander Shota Imanaga were on the brink of dissolution last fall before reconciling.

Both sides showed a willingness to try again.

But as anyone who has experienced a rough patch in a relationship can tell you, this might take a little time before trust is reestablished.

The last thing the Cubs or Imanaga wanted to see is what took place in the first inning Sunday, when the Nationals’ Joey Wiemer cranked a three-run home run into the left-field bleachers.

The Cubs answered with three homers, two by Alex Bregman, but were never able to overcome the early deficit. The Nationals never trailed in a 6-3 victory before 33,559 at Wrigley Field.

Imanaga gave up home runs by the barrelful last season, especially in the last two months.

In Imanaga’s last dozen starts of 2025, he was taken deep a staggering 20 times. During that stretch, he went 2-5 with a 5.17 ERA. This, after he missed a couple of months with a strained hamstring.

With Imanaga’s velocity frequently dipping below 90 mph — he averaged 90.5 mph last season — and his arm slot noticeably dropping, which also affected the effectiveness of his splitter, the Cubs declined to exercise their three-year, $57 million option on his deal.

For his part, Imanaga declined to exercise the $15 million player option he was holding. Two weeks later, however, he accepted the Cubs’ qualifying offer of $22.5 million, which the team had extended in hopes of receiving a compensatory draft choice as a parting gift if Imanaga elected to go.

Imanaga stayed put. A skeptic might say the Cubs were stuck with him, although if they had been that determined to let him go, they never would have made the qualifying offer.

Besides, Imanaga had pitched pretty well for them before he was hurt and the late-season collapse. Overall, he was 9-8 with a 3.73 ERA in 25 starts. And while his strikeout numbers were down (7.3 per nine innings after nine in 2024), there was reason for hope.

Manager Craig Counsell said he wasn’t looking for the old Imanaga to return. More like a Shota 2.0, as someone suggested.

‘‘We’re all a new version of ourselves,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘When you wake up the next day, you’re a new version of yourself.

‘‘So it’s more like a 2.0 than going backward because you’re always evolving.’’’

The problem came when Imanaga rolled out of bed Sunday and did something he rarely did in his first two seasons with the Cubs: He gave up a homer with at least two men on base. That happened only twice in each of the last two seasons.

‘‘Shota is going to give up home runs,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘It’s kind of the nature of the pitcher he is. But the three-run home runs, you have to prevent those because those are game-changing swings.

‘‘When they’re solo shots and you can limit the damage on them, it works. But the big swings like that, it’s hard to win games with three-run homers on the other side.’’

Except for walking the leadoff man in the sixth, which led to his departure and — ultimately — the Nationals’ fourth run, Imanaga pitched creditably after the first. He struck out seven and stranded Wiemer after a leadoff triple in the fourth.

‘‘Unfortunately, I gave up the three-run home run,’’’ he said. ‘‘But after that, I was telling myself, my body is feeling solid, I trust myself, I trust my stuff.’’

Winning the Cubs’ trust will be a work in progress.

‘‘The [home run] pitch was down, but .  . . it was a pitch I missed,’’ Imanaga said. ‘‘I need to be better at executing the pitch, location and zone.’’

Suzuki update

Outfielder Seiya Suzuki (sprained right knee) is progressing and eligible to come off the injured list Wednesday, but Counsell said it is more likely he will be activated on the Cubs' road trip, which begins Friday in Cleveland. Suzuki ran the bases and did some outfield drills before the game Sunday, and while he is close to running at full speed, Counsell said the team would like to see him sliding before giving him the green light to return.

Bregman powers up

Alex Bregman now has eight multihomer games in his career after hitting his first two as a Cub on Sunday.

"We need to clean it up a little bit,'' Bregman said of losing the first series. "We'll be better for it moving forward.''

His impressions of his first weekend in Chicago?

"It's awesome,'' he said. "Unbelievable atmosphere. The fans are incredible. So much history here, obviously so much to go out there and play day games here. My family is having a blast.''

Notes

Closer Daniel Palencia, still basking in the glow of Venezuela's thrilling victory against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, got his first work of the season Sunday, giving up two hits in the ninth in a non-save situation. Palencia was spared a run when center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and shortstop Dansby Swanson executed a perfect relay to cut down Luis Garcia at the plate on a double by Daylen Lile.

• Veteran outfielder Michael Conforto, who made the club after signing in February on a non-roster basis, made his first start in right field. He went 0-for-2 with a walk while batting ninth.