Brewers 4, Cubs 0: Shota Imanaga leaves injured, and Milwaukee immediately strikes

The Milwaukee Brewers seek to avoid being swept by the Chicago Cubs as they close out their the teams’ three-game series on Sunday afternoon, May 4 at American Family Field.

Right-hander Freddy Peralta (3-2, 2.52) takes the ball for Milwaukee while left-hander Shota Imanaga (3-1, 2.77) counters for Chicago.

Shota Imanaga leaves with an injury

For the first time since the first inning Milwaukee put some pressure on Imanaga when Jackson Chourio singled to lead off the sixth and two batters later William Contreras walked.

Christian Yelich followed by pulling a grounder to the right side and eventually beat the relay throw, leaving runners on the corners with two outs. But Imanaga appeared to pull his left hamstring while hurrying over to cover first, and had to be lifted by manager Craig Counsell.

The break was a big one for the Brewers, as Julian Merryweather uncorked a wild pitch on his first offering, allowing Chourio to score.

Then, after Rhys Hoskins was walked intentionally, Daz Cameron dunked a single into short right to score Yelich to make it a 2-0 game. Cameron quickly stole second, and Caleb Durbin followed with a hustle double to center that increased the lead to 4-0.

Having gone in front, manager Pat Murphy pulled Peralta at 89 pitches. He scattered four hits and a walk while striking out seven.

A pitchers’ duel breaks out

With both teams trotting out their aces, it was unsurprising to see the offenses struggle.

The Brewers managed consecutive singles in the first inning against Imanaga but failed to advance either baserunner.

The Cubs, meanwhile, put a little more pressure on Peralta with their leadoff batter reaching in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings.

But each time, Peralta buckled down and kept them from advancing. The right-hander was dealing, with 12 swings and misses while topping out at 97.9 mph with his fastball through six innings.

Really, the only item of note to come out of the early portion of the game was Sal Frelick being lifted following the third inning with what the team described as left knee discomfort.

Brewers 4, Cubs 0: Shota Imanaga leaves injured, and Milwaukee immediately strikes — Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) delivers a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field on April 29, 2025, in Chicago.

What time is the Brewers game today?

Time: 1:10 p.m.

What channel is the Brewers game on today?

TV channel: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin

Brewers lineup

Jackson Chourio CF
Isaac Collins LF
William Contreras C
Christian Yelich DH
Rhys Hoskins 1B
Sal Frelick RF
Caleb Durbin 3B
Joey Ortiz SS
Brice Turang 2B

Cubs lineup

Ian Happ LF
Kyle Tucker RF
Seiya Suzuki DH
Michael Busch 1B
Nico Hoerner 2B
Pete Crow-Armstrong CF
Miguel Amaya C
Dansby Swanson SS
Jon Berti 3B

Brewers schedule

Brewers vs. Astros, 6:40 p.m. May 5. Milwaukee RHP Tobias Myers (0-0, 5.14) vs. Houston TBA. TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.

Brewers vs. Astros, 6:40 p.m. May 6. Milwaukee RHP Chad Patrick (1-3, 2.87) vs. Houston TBA. TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.

Brewers vs. Astros, 12:10 p.m. May 7. Milwaukee RHP Quinn Priester (1-0, 5.79) vs. Houston TBA. TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers 4, Cubs 0: Shota Imanaga leaves injured, and Milwaukee strikes