WHY did Shota Imanaga start this game for the Chicago Cubs!?

WHY did Shota Imanaga start this game for the Chicago Cubs!?

Feels like the same movie, the same saying really for seven years, but it’s sticking out right now. The Chicago Cubs are being outclassed by the Milwaukee Brewers. You are Locked On Cubs, your daily Chicago Cubs podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. You are locked on Cubs, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day alongside Sam Olber. I’m Matt Cozy. Sam and I are lifelong fans taking our passion into discussion with you on all things Cubs. Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Cubs lost 7 to3 to the Brewers in game two of the NLDDS on Monday. Brewers up 20 in the series as it moves to Ridley later this week. Shota Imanaga started another move that was questioned in the moment just like when Matthew Boyd opened up the series Saturday and it went poorly. Imanaga did not get out of the third inning, allowing a three-run homer to Andrew Vaughn in the first and a solo shot to William Contrarus in the third. Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run homer in the top of the first. And that was it for the offense. All seven runs for the Brewers were with two outs. Sam, the Cubs are in a big big hole with their season on the brink. I don’t know. You know, it’s it’s very hard for me, as you know, to not go to where I want to go, which is talking about this is why I spent so much time during the season letting these guys bother me. Whether that’s the right thing to do, that’s up for debate. But but Right. Right. Cuz that’s that’s your choice. Yeah. They they are they are so organizationally sound. And when I watch them play, it just it just feels like a different sport. Uh uh it it just my my dad talked about that like it just with what what they do and what we do it just looks like we’re hoping to hit a home run and yes they ran into a few home runs today but when they don’t r into home runs they get base hits and and and they pull they they push the right buttons and I just uh I I I just think that the Cubs have to figure these guys out uh before they could get to where they want to go. And that’s why this was such a big series. And look, you’re right. They still ha have some time left here. Uh but it just it just to lose game one in the fashion they did was frustrating. I thought at the very least they’d come out in game two and compete. This game, Matt, I got to tell you, it never true. It never felt close the second Vaughn tied the game. Uh it never even when it was 33 4-3, it never felt close. Um, they didn’t show any fight again offensively. I know we’re going to talk about the show to move and we’ve have to, but I must bring up this is now 12 consecutive postseason games of three runs or less for the Chicago Cubs. Uh, and they scored three in the first inning today. A a and then when eight straight innings they had what do they have for the game? Four total hits. Uh it’s just it just seems like a lot of guys, a lot of pieces and that team over there, they just feel like a team with an identity with a mutual goal and we just well maybe PCA will get into one and hey maybe Hap will get in. It’s just um right now it just it’s just it’s it it just feels like they’re being completely outclassed Matt at every level of the game. Well, they they seem overmatched to me. Yep. And and and the biggest part of this that that if if if we want to wait on it, fine. But the Brewers to me, Sam, have had an identity for years. Mhm. And then the Cubs got the main person presumably in the dugout. Uhhuh. And none of it transferred over. None of it. Not even one. Everything was kept and then some over there. They’re better without them. Okay. I don’t understand going to Imanaga in Milwaukee. Let’s do it. Just wait. Yeah. We We said it after on Saturday night. Just wait. Just wait until Wednesday at Wrigley. It’s going to have cool temps. It’s going to have wind blowing in a crosswind, I’m sure. Pitch Colin Ray. Pitch Colin Ray. Have Colin Ray start. Hey, have Jameson Tyion start, albeit on on short rest, but not Imanaga. And by the way, if it is Imanaga, then have him face nine batters. And they didn’t do either of those plans. Nothing. They just they just they didn’t do either plan. And I thought this is why we got counsel for the creative pitching and the piecing it together. Yes, I know they’re short steel. I know they’re short Horton, but I thought there’d be some more creativity. I You’re right. The bigger story wasn’t the three-run homer to Vaughn. Why was he still out there to face Cheerio? Ray Ray should have been facing Cheurio. I I mean, it was unbelievable. And and and I just I I I got to say I I you know, counsel is not why they lost these two games, but it’s just not a great look, especially against this former team. Now, granted, Murphy didn’t exactly crack the code with Ashby opening. He was not sharp. But it just I I just don’t get it. It just seemed like common sense. I thought Ray game one, Boyd game two, Shota game three, J Mo game four. That that was the common sense. I thought Ray earned himself a position. Now, that doesn’t mean they would have won the game. But, right, and then we talked about it. Well, if you’re going to go Shaa, then go Shota one time through. Ray one time through. And they bring in Ray when they’re down a 100. And um yeah, it’s just And then that’s a huge part of the baseball game, Matt. It is. But for me, the way this offense just goes to sleep like they did, I I I it’s the same outline as the Saturday episode and I give a lot of credit to Seiya. I mean, he’s just been these home runs that he’s hitting are absolutely huge and it’s unfortunate that they don’t matter. Um I mean, that he might be in his last game or two as a Cub as well. That home run that he hit, I mean, I you know, when when Bush led off that homer, I looked at my mom, I said, “Don’t get too excited.” But tonight when Seiya hit that three home run, three-run homer, I was buzzing. I was buzzing and I was in a really good place. And for him and to come out and it lasted 15 minutes again. A threerun homer like that, it it just killed all the momentum. And um it’s just it’s hard. It’s hard. This is the team. It’s just it’s hard for me as somebody that watches every game. This is the team that started the quote the offense is broken in 2018 when they came into Wrigley Field game 163 and beat this Cubs team. And here we are seven years later. Seven years is a long time and they are still on top of this division and and with a different manager and they’re one game away, Matt, uh uh from sweeping. And I want to close this segment before we go to break and the 722 amazing people that are with us to ask you a question. Would it be worse for the Cubs if they get swept by the Brewers rather than just losing to the Padres’s? I think the I’ll answer I think the answer is no. I’ll take playoff series wins are special. I think you got to win one game. Yeah. Yeah, but but but now you got to salvage something in front of the home fans. But if they get swept at home, I would say yeah, I would say what was the original question? Would would you rather have just lost to the Padres’s then get swept by the Brewers is essentially the question. Well, my instinct is no, but but but man, I I just I don’t want the season end Wednesday. And if it does, that’s uh that’s a cold way to go out. Yeah, I I think I think losing losing to this team in five games is is no shame because I really think this team’s good and I think they’re going to give the Dodgers a series. I really do if they’re healthy. Uh if they can get healthy with their pitching, but you can’t get swept. And if you get swept, I don’t think so. And and they’re and this team, they’re going to have their chest out. There’s going to be a lot of Brewer fans in Wrigley. They’re tired of hearing the Wrigley North stuff. They want to make it Wrigley South. It’s going to be o I’m not looking forward to Wednesday night. I’m not. All right. I want to get into your question about council’s role in all this and uh anybody anybody want to get a base hit? Well, I will continue to talk about the offense as we feel distraught here after a game two NLDDS loss right after this. This episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Most people can’t name all their financial accounts or even what they’re worth. 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That stuff starts to add up. maximizing investments, increasing your savings rate, easily reviewing finances with your partner and or advisor, keeping a clear reviewer of your financial health week to week. So, don’t let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code locked on MLB at monarchmoney.com in your browser for half off your first year. That’s 50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code locked on ml. Shout out to the everydayers. you could become a locked on Cubs every day or by joining us for every episode throughout the week. I I’m a little tired of uh the steel Horton storyline. Sorry. Yeah, I think I think I I get it. It’s difficult to navigate without them. It’s not news to me that it’s hard to win without impact players who are out due to injuries. Uh but what what are the Yankees talking about without Garrick Cole and the Phillies without Zack Wheeler? Granted, those two teams are down 20. Uh, Mariners without Brian Woo. Blue Jays without Bo Bashette, but it’s on the players to step up the best way they can with Brewers without Brandon Woodruff. Thank you. And it’s on the manager. What is Craig Council’s role in this debacle? Because if they get swept, that’s what it is. It’s nothing short of a debacle if they get swept. Last week was a blast. 92 wins was fun, but if they get swept, what is his role in this debacle? Because maybe there are too many kicks, too many cooks in the kitchen and Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins and the front office and council are making these decisions. Either way, as we spoke earlier, they’re bad decisions. And while yes, this literally wasn’t a must-win game, there will be baseball on Wrigley Wednesday, you only walk away from this one feeling distraught, feeling feeling badly about this team because it’s this now it’s the same it’s the same movie. It’s the same movie and and how so they get it wrong. If the evaluation is they got it wrong Saturday, why in their war room would they have made a decision that was wrong again today? How does that happen twice? And whose responsibility is that? Yeah, Shota gave up the three-run homer Devon 15 minutes after having the lead. But but right now, you can’t sit here and tell me as one of the best fan bases on the globe that that you’re not wondering what council’s role is in this. Uh because what’s the plan? Okay. So, he did pitch and then he just kept pitching. Yeah. I I think I think you could take it a step further and say what was the plan post trade deadline? Uh they had remember this. They had no idea that Kate Horton was going to do this. That was that was unbelievable. That was outperforming expectation at the highest level. But you knew you didn’t have steel. You knew you were riding Matthew Boyd to a level that always felt unsustainable. And and look, we talked about it all year. Shoda didn’t look like the guy was last year, despite what the numbers were. So, you’re just going to roll out, try and win a world championship at that point. Now, it worked out that Cade turned out to be great. But, I guess to answer your question, I think Craig’s role in this is is is is right there with Jed Carter. just doesn’t feel like it just doesn’t feel like this year they looked at it and said, “Hey, let’s do it.” Even though before the year they went out and got Kyle Tucker and it feels like, and again, we’re I think we’re getting towards too much offseason, but like it just feels like there’s always one foot in the water and one foot out with this team. Hey, we’re going to go trade for Kyle Tucker so we can make sure we’re competitive, but you know, no, no, no, no, no Max Freed. No, no, no. Lazardo, we’re worried about that. No, no, no. we’re not going to go all in at the deadline. You know what I mean? It’s it’s just this kind of let’s just let’s let’s have our hand in there. Let’s be good enough and hey, they want a playoff series. But if this finishes out the way it’s looking, maybe it’s a wakeup call to Jed Carter and Craig of hey, you you can’t just be in the dance. There’s a big big organizational gap. And and by the way, by the way, Matt, I mean, let’s let’s call a spade a spade here. Even if they were able to to make this interesting, I mean, you watch the Dodgers play. I mean, come on. They in a seven game series with Snell, Otani last now, Yamamoto, Freeman, Otani on offense, Suzaki closing bets. I mean, you can’t I mean, Hernandez, I mean, what do we You know what I mean? There’s Definitely. Yeah. So, you either got to start spending more money or you got to get sharper with your philosophy so you can close the gap on this Brewer team that seems to have your number because right now through two games and the show and Monaga debacle, the Matthew Boyd debacle, the O2 pitch by Palencia right down the middle to Cheerio debacle, the offensive debacle. This Brewers team is making you look unserious. And so you you need to throw away the binder for a second because you’re not even using it anymore. And and you need to get which is weird. Weird by the way. You need to get serious on Wednesday night and show a little bit of pride because uh to get swept by this team would continue to be a debacle. Well, I’m going to have to reflect on the original question about a minute ago because I do I I my instinct is to say it is enough to get in the dance, but the way it’s going in this dance is is just is just poor. Really, is it enough to get in the dance when the the the Dodgers 162 game season making the playoffs? That should be a regular routine. That’s that is the goal now. No, absolutely. That’s the goal. But then the bit there that shouldn’t be hey we did all right let’s celebrate the goal is to eventually win a championship eventually sure and right now does this look like a roster that could do that as of this moment based on the how Saturday and today went. No, I’ll argue based on how the Padre series went. I mean they had to wriggly wriggly their way to win. They couldn’t have starters do that. You need to figure out a way. Listen, I’m not saying, “Oh my gosh, the Cubs are horrible. Th this has been a good step. But if you lose Wednesday night, we’re not sitting here waving pompoms saying it was a great season.” You got work to do to to to get to the next level. The goal isn’t to make the playoffs every year. That’s goal number one. The ultimate goal is to put out a championship level roster. Yeah, but that that takes just just so much time. Well, they just made the playoffs for the first time. I I understand. And so so the next step so that we could talk all offseason, well, how to become a championship. And they’re not going to be doing it with Kyle Tucker. That’s a tease. Tease that for the third off season in mid-occtober. Maybe I’ll premiere that on Halloween. Trick or treat. Kyle Tucker. Phillies, Dodgers, or Yanks? Or Red Sox? So, the Brewers didn’t pitch a starter in this game and they won the game handily. They they had a bold plan that worked with Ashby opening. Well, did it really work? Well, yes, because they they only they allowed three runs. Yeah. I’m just saying the the the Cubs were not fooled by Ashb by any means. Well, they weren’t, but then they went to Mirrors to clean up some dirty and then they were fooled by everybody else. And then Misarowski was was pumping 104 and now they have either Pster or Canana or both for game three. Yeah. And Freddy Peralta for the knockout punch. So, yes, it worked. I’m I’m thinking up a speech for tomorrow to try and rally the troops like a little Kevin Mar down three 0 to the Yanks speech. Justin Turner should be doing that and I’m having a hard time finding it. Um, just win game three. All right, coming up next, we continue to discuss uh not only this loss, but Saturday’s loss as well. And uh maybe a little more offensive numbers as well, which has been offensive to us as fans. Let’s get to all of that right after this. Come on. This episode is brought to you by Game Time. There’s nothing like catching a baseball game live. The energy, the crowd, the chance to see your team in person, but actually getting tickets, that’s the tough part. Cues, login screen, surprise fees, it takes all the fun out of it. 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We do have another episode before uh postgame coverage on Wednesday. So, we’ll uh certainly pregame uh preview game three more uh for that. So, make sure you check us out. Quinn Priest been announced by Murphy. Okay. Tuesday evening or uh Wednesday morning. And uh Quinn Pier 2019 Carrie Grovedra. Uh we’ll get more into that matchup uh I think in our next episode. Sam at the plate. The Cubs now in the postseason are hitting 216. Mhm. With an on base of 271. Mhm. They’ve scored 12 runs. Yeah. They’ve struck out they they’ve walked 10 times and struck out 58. Mhm. Uh so uh let’s see what is that as a uh let’s see 27* 5 and 58 divided by 135. So 43% of their outs are strikeouts. Yeah, it’s hard to win. And I’m not a math major, but that’s horrific. Almost as much as my neighbors uh Halloween decorations. Well, hopefully hopefully they’re not listeners. Um, yeah. I I’m distraught right now. So, what what are you feeling? Seriously, like I’m distraught. Yeah, I’m um Do you know what that word means? Or Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I do. I do. I went to college. Um I uh I’m not distraught. That’s not the word I would use. Is a fruit. I was sad during the game. As a fruitly creeps in. Um I’ll clean your place better. Yeah, I know. It’s from my dishwasher. Something’s up. Um, I’m just disapp I’m disappointed. Um, I’m disappointed. And, uh, I just feel like council really hurt us with these two decisions. And the the the lack of starting pitching, which we worried about for a while, is on display. And the lack of offense, which we’ve worried about for a while, is on display. And um I just uh well they proved to be too onedimensional offensively. I just um it wasn’t like that the whole year, but it was it was the last you know 60ish games. Yeah. And it’s just you know the the first game I was okay with the blowout but to to to have a three Matt I got to tell you when they the the you know everyone compared the Bush solo homer was like hey that was kind of like the Devin Hester Super Bowl return. No, no, no. The Seiya homer was that got me back and forth at my place. I really thought we were in a good spot. And then you retire the first two guys of the next inning via strikeout and then you leave the inning 33. It It was just so deflating. And And the pitch to Contras wasn’t bad for the single. No. Pitch to Yelich was right over the plate. And then the battle with Vaughn, you lost. Yeah. Yeah. And I and and in in in the pregame, somebody asked me, “Who do you who scares you the most against Simonaga?” I picked Vaughn. Uh I He mashes lefties. He He mashes lefties, man. And And it wasn’t a horrible pitch, but it’s just um you know, I’ve been here before in sports, unfortunately, many many times, which is why I’m sitting here and not doing any other sports. But when when when you’re just outclassed and it just feels like the other person or the other team is just this much better than you, it’s deflating. You know, you put a lot of work in. I mean, think of the work that that everybody puts in with between Chad Carter Council. These players, you don’t think these players go, “Man, we, you know, PCA and Tucker and Seya and Bush who didn’t even start. We should be able to hang in there.” Now, listen, they did win the season series against them, but I would argue the first two out of three, that wasn’t that wasn’t the real Brewer team. Uh, but the three out of five that they got, that was legit. Um, thought they could win this series and and and make the final four, which was the goal of this group. Yeah. And I don’t think you were out of line for thinking that. I I I I thought similar. I I I I was hearing what you were saying about, hey, they put the ball in play. Well, you know, we’re good at defense and hey, they don’t hit a lot of home runs and that’s our bugaboo pitching wise, but it just feels like they do whatever they need to do that night and it and it feels like what we do is just kind of hope it goes well and, you know, put it out there. So, we’ll see. I’m really interested and we’ll talk more about this tomorrow as it’s it’s almost midnight central. Um, we we’ll talk more about this tomorrow. I’m really interested to see the crowd and the vibe because, you know, it’s going to be a tough that that’s a tough game to go to. Like that’s one where, you know, it’s game three, you win and you still got, you know, a huge mountain to climb. Um, a and you probably That’s a great question, by the way. If the Cubs do win game three, would Murphy go Peralt to game four or would he save him? Would he save him for Milwaukee? No. No, he would not save him. No. Um I you’re right though. Uh I I I think I I think it’s I think it’s an important game to get just for the the the pride purposes. Um opening line on that game. Any guesses? Yeah, I’ll take a guess. Yeah, I’ll say C Brewers minus 130. No, it uh it actually opened at Cubs minus 145 and got bet and got bet down already to minus 125 by a lot of people. Oh, wow. Yeah. So, we’ll see. Um All right. Yeah. Look look here here’s what I’ll say because it’s a tough night, man. Like when you when you do this for 162, right? And when I say this, I don’t mean what we do. I mean what everybody watching does, which is fan and and you watch every single game and you want it so bad and you have a high like you had of beating the Padres’s that was that was literally on Thursday. You know what I mean? Yeah. Right. You you beat a really good team at home and it was like wow. And then you have a quick turnaround. Let me tell you, postseason baseball is really really cruel. Sometimes it could be devastating. I mean, look at look at how the Yankees feel right now. Look at how the Phillies feel. I mean, they were in control all year and they lost their first two at home. Um, Rich, and is that not reason to put more value in the 162? I’m just saying. Yeah, to put more value in the 162. Absolutely. But unfortunately, we’re losing to a team that outclasses us over 162 as well. Um, you know, it’ be one thing if we It’s too It’s two-pronged. Yeah, it’s two prong. They just look so I I know this is a horrible take to close the show with, but they just look so into it and locked in like they’re just their body language. It’s like, oh man, I just it just doesn’t look like they’re a team that they just I don’t know. But that’s how it but but with but we’ve been saying that though. Yeah. Yeah. I’ll tell you this, if it goes south uh uh Wednesday night, I’m fascinated to see Dodgers Brewers. I know people in the chat are saying that the Brewers are going to get rolled. Um, I don’t know if they win that series, but I I don’t think that I don’t think that team’s getting rolled by anybody. They’re they’re legit, man. I mean, they they need they need to get healthy pitching wise, but they’re legit. Um, but we got to find a way to to to stand up and and and and have some pride and find a way to win a 3-1 baseball game on uh on Wednesday because we’re not going to score much more than that. Exactly. No, that sounds like the right score. We’ll be back in the in between to preview game three and more and then everybody for joining us after this. We appreciate it. Wednesday night’s game. Almost a thousand people after that debacle. Wednesday is at 4:08 and then if necess Wednesday’s at 408 central and then if necessary Thursday can get get a little uh weird. Wednesday is a a 408 game. It is. This is Locked On Cubs, part of the Lockdown podcast network. Your team every day for your second listen. Check out the uh lockown MLB game night show. Every game, every night, all season on a national scale. You how do you not know that? Find MLB game night on the Locked on OB channel on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast. He’s Sam Olber. I’m Matt Cozy. This is Locked on Cubs.

We explain why Shota Imanaga should not have started as the Cubs lost to the Brewers in Game 2 of the NLDS.

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