There was a lot of excitement and buzz around the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. Then the big moment happened: the Cubs not only lost 1–5, but one of their own pitchers was questioned by an umpire about an alleged wrongdoing.

The incident happened in the first inning of the game, when suddenly the left-handed pitcher was pulled aside by the umpire. A hush followed, shifting scrutiny toward the club. It was a minor incident, but it had a lot of meaning because of MLB’s 2023 directive instructing umpires to conduct more random and thorough inspections for foreign substances.

The player under scrutiny was Shota Imanaga. As reported by Reds Daily on X, “Shota Imanaga was apparently told to wash his hands of some sticky stuff at the end of the first inning.” Even though no rules were broken, the event got a lot of attention, showing how small procedure issues may become big news when MLB is watching closely.

Imanaga inked a four-year, $53 million deal with the Cubs on January 11, 2024. This season, he has been steady, with an 8-4 record, an ERA of approximately 3.12, a WHIP of 1.00, and 70 strikeouts through the All-Star break, solidifying his place in Chicago’s rotation. In this game, too, he gave a good performance.

He pitched 6.1 innings, striking out seven batters, walking none, and allowing only one earned run. It was a clean outing. He gave up a run in the sixth inning, resulting from a double and a single. But other than that, he was in control the whole time and didn’t give up any home runs or walks.

When asked in the post-game about his pitching and whether he wanted to stay or not. He replied calmly, “At the end of the day, if [Cubs manager Craig] Counsell wants to switch pitchers, then I trust his decision.”

Even though he pitched well, the Cubs lost. Spencer Steer hit a three-run home run that changed the game, and the bullpen gave up four more runs in just one-third of an inning, giving Littell a strong bullpen performance for the Reds. The Chicago offense never got going, scoring only one run on a solo home run. The bullpen’s collapse turned a good start into a loss. And it’s not just about this game; the Cubs’ offense has suffered against the Reds.

Wrigley scoring drought: Cubs’ bats gone silent

The Cubs’ bats were mostly quiet in the series opener on August 4. Dansby Swanson’s two-run home run in the third inning was the only offense. The Cubs had three hits and squandered late-game opportunities despite having leadoff runners. Manager Counsell said, “Not going to win many games with three hits.”

The next night, things became even worse for them. In Game 2 on August 5, they only scored one run, a solo home run by Matt Shaw. They only had four hits overall. Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Willi Castro all struck out during a key rally in the first inning when there were runners on first and second and no outs. The squad didn’t score in either game despite having runners on base.

Sun-Times writers said that the offense couldn’t get going even against a mid-level pitching staff. Jed Hoyer admitted that the team would have to return to the form they showed before the All-Star break, when they were in the middle of the MLB rankings. During the two games, the Cubs only scored three runs on seven hits. They went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The pitching was under pressure due to the team’s inability to get timely hits. The outcome: back-to-back losses.