Cubs blow out Seattle despite Imanaga’s short outing
SEATTLE — The Cubs might lament coming two pitches away from sweeping the Seattle Mariners.
After back-to-back walk-off losses at T-Mobile Park, the Cubs’ offense took advantage of Mariners starter Bryce Miller’s poor command. Ian Happ’s grand slam off the right-field pole — following three straight walks — was part of a five-run third inning to fuel the Cubs to a blowout 19-2 victory Sunday.
Happ drove in another run with a bases-loaded walk during their nine-run eighth inning. Pedro Ramírez’s grand slam came against Mariners position player Jhonny Pereda. It’s the third time since at least 1910 the Cubs have hit two grand slams in a game, also accomplishing the feat Sept. 5, 2021, and June 3, 1998.
Pete Crow-Armstrong slugged a two-run home run, his 33rd of the season, to give the center fielder his sixth game this year in which he’s tallied at least one home run and one stolen base, the most in MLB.
Nine Cubs recorded at least one hit in the win to help snap their three-game losing streak. The victory was particularly timely in their postseason pursuit, with the Philadelphia Phillies closing the gap on their hold of the National League’s top wild spot. As the Cubs’ game got underway in Seattle, the Phillies rallied from a four-run deficit with two outs in the ninth inning against the Cardinals for a walk-off win, their ninth straight.
“Look, we have to win baseball games,” manager Craig Counsell said before their blowout win. “Do you know what the other teams around you are doing? Of course you do. We have to win games, and when you don’t really control what the other teams do, like, it’s your team and you winning games. That’s really all you do. I’m not sure what me looking and worrying about that stuff will do for the Cubs.”
More concerning than dropping the series, though, was Shota Imanaga’s performance Sunday.
Imanaga only lasted two-plus innings as the left-hander struggled with his command. Following singles by Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor to begin the third, Counsell pulled Imanaga and went to veteran Aaron Civale. Imanaga allowed five hits, two runs (one earned), one home run, two walks and struck out four on 72 pitches (41 strikes).
Civale was excellent in relief. He delivered four shutout innings, the most by a Cubs reliever in a non-opener or injury-related appearance since Chris Flexen on June 27, 2025. Civale allowed only one hit, a single, and didn’t walk a batter while striking out two.
Imanaga’s outing was concerning on multiple levels. He landed a first-pitch strike to only three of the 14 Mariners he faced, including none to the six batters in the first inning. Imanaga’s velocity was also notably down, averaging minus-1.1 mph on his fastball, minus-1.4 mph with his splitter and minus-1.8 mph on the sweeper.
“As a starter, you want to keep the team in the game,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “I think today I couldn’t feel like the last couple starts when I was more tenacious and kept us in the game. I think today I was trying to, and it wasn’t. I feel like I stressed out the relievers too much. So hopefully next start, even if I don’t feel great, keep us in the game, stay tenacious, and just hope to help the team.”
The Cubs will need more from Imanaga during the stretch run.
“Seasons always come down to the last week,” Counsell said. “The thing that I always think is the schedule, the standings go up and down and then obviously you love to make it as easy as you can on yourself, but then you’re always in the last 10 days of the season and that’s how it happens. That’s how it works.”