Minnesota Twins at Chicago Cubs

After Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong chased down a drive from Royce Lewis deep into the gap to his right -- sending ivy leaves flying off the vines clinging to the Wrigley Field’s famous wall -- Shota Imanaga stood on the mound with his hands on his hips. Imanaga felt fortunate in that moment in the sixth inning on Sunday afternoon. “Pete made a great play deep in the outfield,” Imanaga said via his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry. “That pitch was a mistake pitch on me.” After a 10-1 win for the Cubs in which Imanaga authored a stellar performance, consider that reaction from the pitcher the response of a perfectionist. Imanaga gave the North Siders seven shutout innings, marking the first time since May 2 that he logged as many zeroes in an outing. The Cubs’ offense provided more than enough support (all 10 runs came within the first four frames), but the left-hander continued on what has been a strong, seven-start streak for a rotation craving consistency. The Cubs have a couple starting pitchers on the mend -- Jameson Taillon is set to return from the injured list on Monday and Edward Cabrera is on pace for a return in mid-August -- but have weathered injuries all season. With the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaching, it is no secret the front office is on the hunt for available options. Before each of Imanaga’s outings, the words “SHO TIME” flash on the large red marquee that hangs on the ballpark at the corner of Clark and Addison Streets. Having his performance live up to that billing over the final two months would go a long way in helping the Cubs in their quest to strengthen their playoff positioning. “He’s been good,” Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman said. “I thought he executed all five pitches really well today. That’s huge when he’s got his five-pitch mix working. The splits were good. The spin was good. The heaters were good up. A few sinkers, too, as well. I thought he did a really good job.” In Sunday’s outing, Imanaga scattered six hits, struck out four and issued only one walk. The lefty limited Minnesota to a 1-for-10 showing with runners on base, including the Crow-Armstrong catch that ended the sixth and stranded a pair of runners. “He was just on the attack,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. That has been a trend over the past few weeks, too.