{"id":177085,"date":"2026-04-16T07:49:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=177085"},"modified":"2026-04-16T07:49:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:49:49","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8-breaking-3-takeaways-from-the-chicago-cubs-series-win-including-nico-hoerner-raking-and-shota-imanaga-dealing-the-cubs-are-firing-on-all-cylinders-as-hoerners-bat-and","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=177085","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8 BREAKING: 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CHICAGO CUBS\u2019 SERIES WIN, INCLUDING NICO HOERNER RAKING AND SHOTA IMANAGA DEALING! The Cubs are firing on all cylinders as Hoerner\u2019s bat and Imanaga\u2019s pitching dominate the series. What does this win mean for the team\u2019s future, and are they finally hitting their stride? The excitement is building\u2026\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA \u2014 One mistake on the second pitch of the game could have been the first indicator of a rough night for Chicago Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga.<\/p>\n

Instead, Trea Turner\u2019s leadoff home run Wednesday night was all the Philadelphia Phillies managed against Imanaga in a dominant outing in the Cubs\u2019 11-2 victory to secure a series win. Imanaga struck out 11 \u2014 tying his career high \u2014 in six innings and allowed just two more hits after Turner\u2019s blast. The Cubs (9-9) provided plenty of support for Imanaga, scoring multiple runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings in the blowout.<\/p>\n

It was a strong overall performance for the Cubs to kick off a challenging stretch that includes a five-series stretch against the Phillies (twice), New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, the latter two on a West Coast trip to end April.<\/p>\n

With back-to-back wins over the Phillies before Thursday\u2019s off day, here are three takeaways from the series at\u00a0Citizens Bank Park.<\/p>\n

1. Nico Hoerner staying hot.<\/h4>\n

The Cubs second baseman continues to set the tone at the top of the order.<\/p>\n

Horner tallied eight RBIs in the Cubs\u2019 consecutive wins with his five Wednesday, setting a career high. He keeps showing how he can do damage multiple ways, whether it was shooting a sinker down the first-base line to drive in two runs in the sixth inning or his two-run home run to center field in the fifth off Phillies lefty J\u00e9sus Luzardo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some contact that\u2019s more ideal than others, but ultimately, I want to hit the ball flush,\u201d said Hoerner, who went 3-for-5. \u201cI want to hit hard line drives and certain pitches I elevate more naturally than others. But overall I want to hit hard line drives all over the ballpark and swing at good pitches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through 18 games, Hoerner is hitting .324 with a .410 on-base percentage and 159 wRC+. His 18 RBIs are tied for third-most in the majors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting Nico at-bats in the right spot, which is men on base too, and he\u2019s been incredible with that,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cThe ball down the right-field line with men on base and two strikes, that\u2019s just a Nico at-bat. The home run was a beautiful swing down in the zone. But he\u2019s doing a heck of a job, man. He\u2019s really a machine right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Shota Imanaga looking like \u201924 version<\/h4>\n
\"3
Cubs starter Shota Imanaga delivers during the first inning against the Phillies on April 15, 2026, in Philadelphia. (Matt Rourke\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Imanaga and the Cubs felt confident the work he put in over the offseason and spring training would pay off with better results than his inconsistent, injury-plagued 2025.<\/p>\n

Although he\u2019s only through four starts this season, Wednesday\u2019s outing was Imanaga at his best between his pitch mix and command. Imanaga got 26 swing and misses from the Phillies lineup, the most by a pitcher in an MLB game this year. Those 26 whiffs also tie Yu Darvish (Aug. 23, 2020) for the most by a Cubs pitcher in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this question of where does confidence come from: Do you have to do it, or can you have it?\u201d Counsell said. \u201cI think we were all very confident of what Shota was going to bring to the table from really the first time he threw a bullpen this spring, and he\u2019s pitching at a really high level, and he is really confident right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago Cubs reliever Porter Hodge to undergo season-ending UCL surgery, another injury blow to pitching staff<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Imanaga\u2019s 11 K\u2019s gave him his fourth double-digit strikeout game of his career and first since Sept. 16, 2024. The Cubs need the consistency he has shown early. Over his last three starts, Imanaga has given up just two runs, six hits and two walks with 24 strikeouts in 17 innings. With the pitching injuries the Cubs are dealing with, quality starts are vital to preserve a depleted bullpen.<\/p>\n

Nights like Wednesday from Imanaga certainly change the outlook of the Cubs rotation if he pitches more like his dominant 2024 version.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that (leadoff home run), I felt like my mechanics were really good, there\u2019s something good there,\u201d Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. \u201cAnd so I stayed calm, didn\u2019t rush myself and just believed in myself.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year I\u2019ve been leveling up, and there\u2019s parts of 2025 that I thought was better than 2024 and for me, this year, it\u2019s about trying to create a new version of myself instead of trying to look in the past, just think about the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Offense getting contributions throughout.<\/h4>\n
\"3
Cubs right fielder Matt Shaw scores past Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto during the third inning Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Philadelphia. (Matt Rourke\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Cubs need more than just Hoerner\u2019s hot hitting to get rolling collectively as an offensive unit.<\/p>\n

There were signs in Philadelphia that the lineup might be trending in a positive direction. The Cubs had 15 hits in both Tuesday\u2019s and Wednesday\u2019s victories with 11 multihit games.<\/p>\n

Despite Alex Bregman\u2019s struggles to put the ball in the air more consistently with a cleaner bat path, he recorded three hits and three RBIs Tuesday and had another hit and walk Wednesday. Matt Shaw, batting in the No. 9 spot Wednesday, hit three doubles, drove in two runs and scored twice. Dansby Swanson slugged his fourth home run to tie for the team lead.<\/p>\n

The contributions up and down the lineup were an encouraging development the Cubs hope carry into their six-game homestand that begins Friday against the Mets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA \u2014 One mistake on the second pitch of the game could have been the first indicator of a rough night for Chicago Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":177102,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-177085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n\ud83d\udea8 BREAKING: 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CHICAGO CUBS\u2019 SERIES WIN, INCLUDING NICO HOERNER RAKING AND SHOTA IMANAGA DEALING! The Cubs are firing on all cylinders as Hoerner\u2019s bat and Imanaga\u2019s pitching dominate the series. What does this win mean for the team\u2019s future, and are they finally hitting their stride? 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