Shota Imanaga could soon share same fate as a forgotten member of the 2016 Cubs

Sunday night marked the sixth time this season Shota Imanaga allowed three or more home runs in a start - becoming the first left-hander in MLB history to do so. So, that's fun. Pete Crow-Armstrong popped two more home runs, but the Chicago Cubs lost the finale (and the series) to the Cincinnati Reds.

Oh, and to make matters worse, the Milwaukee Brewers come to town, opening a three-game set against the Cubs on Monday night, already eight games up in the NL Central. But we'll get into all of that as the week goes on. For now, let's stick to Imanaga and his continued inconsistency.

Sunday's disappointing showing (5 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 3 HR) raised his ERA on the year to 4.01. There's one major weakness in the left-hander's game, and that's his seeming inability to keep the ball in the yard. He leads all National League pitchers with 33 home runs allowed this season and for that reason alone, it's worth wondering what his role will be come October.

After the game, Craig Counsell insisted that Imanaga's spot in the rotation wasn't in jeopardy. And while that may be the case now, we saw last fall that, come the playoffs, things can change quickly.

You can make the case that Counsell can't afford to wait till the postseason because what was once a comfortable lead for the top wild-card spot is gone. With the Cubs' loss Sunday, the Phillies pulled into a tie for the top spot, so playing well in the final month is a 'must' for the North Siders. But, assuming the Cubs are, indeed, part of the postseason field, Imanaga could be ticketed for a fate similar to that of Jason Hammel back in 2016.

Jason Hammel was an important member of the 2016 Cubs, but was sidelined in October

One of the biggest strengths of the 2016 team was the near-immaculate health of the starting rotation. Every member made at least 29 starts and threw more than 165 innings. Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester were NL Cy Young finalists and Jake Arrieta was still capable of reaching back for peeks of his 2015 dominance, especially in the first half.

Hammel, for the reasons listed above, was largely overshadowed - and completely cast aside come October. Despite posting a 3.83 ERA across 30 regular-season starts, the veteran right-hander didn't throw a single pitch in the playoffs. He had faded badly down the stretch, especially in September, and, come crunch time, Joe Maddon knew he had to put his best foot forward.

Will Counsell be forced into a similar situation?

Time will tell, but no one is likely to forget last October, when, with the fate of the season on the line, the Cubs elected to go with a bullpen game in Game 5 of the NLDS rather than trust Imanaga. September will decide his fate, but with the playoff race tightening, it remains to be seen if Counsell can afford to give him a long leash through the end of the season.

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