CHICAGO (AP) — Shota Imanaga pitched seven effective innings and Ian Happ hit a three-run homer, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Saturday.
Imanaga allowed one run and four hits in his second straight victory. The Japanese left-hander struck out six and walked none as he improved to 3-0 with a 1.31 ERA in his first seven starts at Wrigley Field.
“He pitched an unbelievable game,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I thought his fastball was really good today. Just his placement with his fastball was excellent all day.”
Chicago had lost three of four and 15 of 21. It was the team’s first win in four games against rival St. Louis this season.
The Cardinals threatened in the seventh, putting runners on first and second with one out. But Imanaga (7-1) retired Dylan Carlson on a fly ball and struck out Brendan Donovan, preserving a 2-1 lead.
Imanaga emphatically waved his left arm after Donovan swung and missed an 84.1 mph sweeper for strike three on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. The rookie finished with a career-high 103 pitches, 69 for strikes.
Asked what he was thinking as he removed Donovan, Imanaga said he was “pretty hungry.”
“So I was thinking about what kind of food and nutrition I should take after the game,” he said through an interpreter. “These are my honest thoughts.”
The Cubs (34-37) then broke the game open in the bottom half. With two out and two on, Happ drove John King’s 1-2 slider into deep left-center field for his seventh home run.
“Not having to give the bullpen a one-run lead and try to ask them to keep it, you know it was cool,” Happ said.
St. Louis (34-35) finished with four hits. He had won three in a row and four of five to get back to .500.
“(Imanaga) did a very good job,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “That four-seamer with the split was tough on the guys, obviously. We couldn’t get much out of it.” .”
The Cardinals took the lead on Nolan Arenado’s sacrifice fly in the fourth, but the Cubs responded with two runs in the bottom half.
Andre Pallante (2-3) started with one out and runners on first and second. Chris Roycroft came in and mishandled Nico Hoerner’s grounder down the first base line, allowing Cody Bellinger to score. Seiya Suzuki raced home on Dansby Swanson’s groundout in front of the plate.
Pallante allowed one earned run and five hits. He pitched five scoreless innings in a 5-1 win over Colorado in his previous start.
“I felt like my stuff was really good,” he said. “He was dominating the ball very well. “I think a couple of the hits they got were on really good pitches.”
COACH ROOM
Cardinals: C Willson Contreras (broken left arm) took batting practice Friday in St. Louis. …LHP Steven Matz (back strain) is expected to throw approximately 50 pitches in a rehab appearance with Double-A Springfield on Sunday. … RHP Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder impingement) allowed three runs and three hits in one inning in a rehab appearance with Springfield on Friday.
Cubs: LHP Jordan Wicks was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain, and RHP Keegan Thompson was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. … RHP Yency Almonte (shoulder strain) is closing in a rehab stint in the minors after he threw live batting practice in Arizona on Friday. … RHPs Caleb Kilian (shoulder strain) and Julian Merryweather (rib stress fracture) each had one bullpen session on Friday.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Right-handers Miles Mikolas (4-6, 4.85 ERA) and Jameson Taillon (3-2, 3.09 ERA) pitched Sunday in the series finale. Mikolas is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his last six starts for St. Louis. Taillon pitched six scoreless innings in Chicago’s 5-2 loss at Tampa Bay on Tuesday night.
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