Cubs pitching coach defends Shota Imanaga amidst first start criticism from fans

For many frustrated Chicago Cubs fans, Shota Imanaga's first start can be summed up with the three-run homer he allowed to Joey Wiemer in the top of the first inning last weekend, which led the Washington Nationals to a 6-3 victory at Wrigley Field.

Imanaga recovered from there, with the only other run he was charged with coming after the pen took over - but the overall line still left a lot to be desired for a guy making $22 million this season: 5 innings pitched, 4 earned runs, 6 hits, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts.

But if you think the Cubs are going to, all of a sudden, throw in the towel on the southpaw because of that three-run homer, you are sorely mistaken. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy appeared on 670 The Score this week and adamantly defended Imanaga's performance in his first outing.

"There are so many positive things to take away from what he did and what he's been working on - and I believe he's a better pitcher than even what we saw in '24 ... with his mix, he's going to give home runs at times. That's just the type of pitcher he is. But he also threw a sinker down and away to a righty to get a double play ball in that game - and it kind of goes unnoticed."

Shota Imanaga leaned on a new-look sinker in his first start of 2026

Digging in a little on admittedly limited data, the big shift in Imanaga's pitch mix in that start was exactly that: he leaned pretty heavily on a sinker, a pitch he threw just 1.2 percent of the time last year. Against the Nats, 8.5 percent of his pitches were sinkers, according to Baseball Savant, offset by a reduction in four-seam fastballs.

That was probably wise. Washington's xBA on his fastball was a staggering .561, despite the improved velocity. It's an important pitch in his arsenal and he'll need to figure out how to pick his spots with it, while continuing to fine-tune this new version of his sinker.

"I think his stuff's better right now. I think the velo's better, I think he's got a better repertoire and a bigger pitch mix," Hottovy said. "I think he's got more confidence in using all of his pitches."

Coming off a start where one swing 'set the tone,' according to Hottovy - Cubs fans are hoping Imanaga can keep the ball in the yard or, at the very least, avoid three-run shots, and calm some of their fears as we head into the first full month of the 2026 campaign.