Chicago Cubs Ace 'Hard for Me to Say I’ve Proven Something' After Disaster Start

Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs spoke after the worst MLB start of his young career.

May 13, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs have been going down the wrong path over the past few weeks, a disappointing sign. While this gives the front office a clear view of how they can upgrade before the July MLB trade deadline, sitting in third place in the National League Central is far from ideal.

Struggling to score runs in many of these losses, it was the pitching who let them down on Wednesday night for once. Shota Imanaga had his worst big league start, getting shelled for seven earned runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings pitched.

Despite the struggles from the left-hander, he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. Considering he still has a 1.86 ERA after this disaster of a start, it shows what the Japanese star has done throughout the season.

However, Imanaga understands that he hasn't proved anything just yet. It's going to take a lot more than some starts in the first few months of the season for him to prove he's one of the best arms in Major League Baseball.

According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, Imanaga had the following to say:

“It’s hard for me to say I’ve proven something,” Imanaga said through an interpreter. “We’re a third of the way into the season. Hopefully in the next two-thirds, I can prove something.”

This is as positive of an attitude as someone could have after getting hit around. Instead of making excuses and focusing on his previous starts, he understands he needs to give more.

For the Cubs, there's no reason to worry about the 30-year-old. He's been too good in all of his other starts to panic over one bad night. The hope and expectation is for him to get back on track and if history repeats itself, the fan favorite will do just that in his next start.