Shota Imanaga threw six shutout innings and the Chicago Cubs prevailed in a showdown featuring All-Star pitchers, defeating the host Baltimore Orioles 4-0 on Wednesday night.
Imanaga, who was pitching for the first time in a week, outdueled Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes. Both were picked for the All-Star Game, which will be held Tuesday night.
Christopher Morel’s home run gave the Cubs the only run they would need. Cody Bellinger –who left the game after he was hit on the left hand by a pitch in the seventh inning by Orioles reliever Cionel Perez — Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch all produced two hits for the Cubs, who’ve won five of their last six games.
Ryan Mountcastle posted three hits for Baltimore, which lost for the second night in a row to Chicago as part of a rough start to a six-game homestand leading to the All-Star break.
It was the sixth shutout of the season for Cubs pitching, including the second in three games after blanking the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
Imanaga (8-2) gave up six hits, walked one and struck out six in picking up his first victory since June 15. Mountcastle had three singles, while James McCann, Austin Hays and Jordan Westburg all had one double off Imanaga.
Burnes (9-4) also went six innings, giving up three runs on nine hits while striking out five. He had a no-decision last week at Seattle in his first attempt this year at reaching the 10-win mark.
The game entered a brief rain delay with one out in the bottom of the seventh and two runners on base against Chicago reliever Luke Little. Little and Porter Hodge escaped the jam unscathed with a strikeout before Mountcastle’s flyout.
Hodge then pitched the eighth and Hector Neris worked the ninth.
Morel’s 16th home run of the season opened the scoring in the second inning. The Cubs expanded the lead to 2-0 later in the inning on Hoerner’s two-out single.
Seiya Suzuki drove in the game’s third run with a two-out, fifth-inning single. Busch’s two-out single in the ninth off Dillon Tate capped the scoring.
–Field Level Media
