CHICAGO -- When the Cubs enjoyed a long string of wins that piled up in late April and continued into early May, consistent performance and length from the rotation was a key to the ballclub’s formula. The lineup’s recent lull has garnered the most attention, but the starting staff has also slipped.
It happened again on Sunday, when Shota Imanaga struggled for the second straight outing en route to an 8-5 loss to the Astros at Wrigley Field. The lefty surrendered seven runs, helping Houston pull off a three-game sweep and handing the struggling North Siders an eighth consecutive defeat.
A frustrating component to this latest loss for the Cubs was that the lineup finally showed some sparks of life after scoring seven runs total in the previous five games.
In the lineup for the first time as a Major Leaguer, rookie Pedro Ramírez helped ignite a three-run second with an RBI double that marked his first hit. Michael Busch later launched a two-run homer in the seventh. It was the type of day the lineup had been searching for this entire homestand.
Imanaga could not capitalize.
After holding a 2.32 ERA after his outing on May 13, Imanaga has seen that number climb to 4.04 in a matter of two starts. He gave up eight runs last time out against the rival Brewers and then seven in Sunday’s six-inning effort against the Astros. Jake Meyers (solo shot in the second), Nick Allen (solo shot in the third) and Christian Walker (three-run homer in the fifth) did the bulk of the damage.
In the 14 games since the Cubs had the second of two 10-game winning streaks, the rotation has turned in a bloated 6.94 ERA with an 0-11 ledger. The 19 home runs given up by Chicago’s starters in that span are the most in the Majors. That is a drastic downturn from the previous 25 games, in which the starters went 11-3 with a 4.24 ERA to help the Cubs to a 21-4 run.