Shota Imanaga struck out seven and allowed two runs over 6-2/3 innings as he pitched the Chicago Cubs to a 4-2 win against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.
The Japanese lefty was back to his best at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park as he logged his first win in the wake of his maiden Major League Baseball loss on May 29.
Working with an early lead, Imanaga (6-1) allowed five hits and a solitary walk to spark the Cubs to a much-needed victory over the Reds, winners of the first three meetings in the four-game series.
His only blemishes were a Luke Maile homer in the third inning and a Santiago Espinal RBI single in the seventh. Imanaga exited the mound with a 1.96 ERA on the year, ranking him sixth among qualified pitchers in the majors through Sunday's game, according to MLB.com.
"To make the most of my strengths, I went back to attacking higher with my fastball and lower with my changeup," Imanaga said. "I'm glad I was able to throw with good control."
Seiya Suzuki went 3-for-5 with a run scored as Chicago's designated hitter.
In other MLB action, Shohei Ohtani lined a double to go 1-for-4 with a run scored as the Los Angeles Dodgers saw their win streak snapped at three in a 6-4 loss to the New York Yankees.
