Today’s roster move: Here
Thursday notes…
SHUTTING THEM OUT: The Cubs’ shutout last night was their seventh of the season. They had 11, 13 and 11 in 2022-24. It was their second this year in which they walked no batters. The first was their 16-0 demolition of the Dodgers at Los Angeles on April 12. They had only one no-walk shutout last season, none in 2023 and two in 2022. Their high in the Live Ball Era was five, in 1988 and 2019. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
THE HITS, FINALLY, KEPT ON COMING: The Cubs outhit the Cardinals 12-4 last night. They had not made at least eight more hits than they had allowed in their previous 30 games, since they had tied their season high of 15 more, 21-6, in a 14-1 rout at Miami on May 20. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
HAPP-ENINGS: Ian Happ’s leadoff home run last night was the 10th of his career and third this season. It was also his 27th career home run against the Cardinals, his second-most against any team (Reds, 31). Lastly, it was the second time this year he had led off the game with a home run on the first pitch. Shohei Ohtani leads that category with three.
KING TUCK: Kyle Tucker, last 10 games since June 14: .417/.500/.750 (15-for-36) with three doubles, three home runs, six RBI, six walks and eight runs scored.
Here are today’s particulars.
Cubs lineup:
Cardinals lineup:
Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Andre Pallante, RHP
Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Shōta Imanaga last pitched on May 4, when he left a start against the Brewers with a hamstring injury.
He’s missed seven starts. He threw really well in his last rehab outing for Triple-A Iowa, June 20, throwing 72 pitches (50 strikes) and striking out eight. I would guess he’ll be limited to 80-85 pitches tonight, at most.
Imanaga made two starts vs. the Cardinals last year and posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.024 WHIP.
Welcome back, Shōta!
Andre Pallante has been with the Cardinals since 2022, but this is his first full year as a rotation starter. He threw six two-hit innings vs. the Reds in his last outing, but also made a start earlier this month against the Royals where he allowed seven runs in 4⅓ innings.
Last year he made one start against the Cubs, June 15, 2024 at Wrigley Field, and allowed two runs (one earned) in 3⅓ innings.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. You can find out if Marquee is available via a provider in your area here.
Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
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The 2025 Game Thread procedure will be identical to last year’s.
You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.
You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.
Discuss amongst yourselves.