Shota Imanaga tossed seven shutout innings and five players hit solo home runs Saturday, carrying the Chicago Cubs to a 6-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.

The impact of Imanaga’s return to the Cubs rotation can’t be overstated. The lefty missed nearly two months after straining a hamstring in early May. While the team continued to play good baseball, it’s clear that Imanaga, when he’s at his best, makes this team more dangerous.

After Shota Imanaga threw seven shutout innings against the Red Sox on Saturday, Michael Busch gave him his flowers.

Imanaga turned in his latest gem since returning from the injured list, throwing seven scoreless innings in the Cubs' victory against the Red Sox.

The Under is 2-0-1 in the last 3 matchups between the Red Sox and Cubs. Boston has been trending low, with the Under hitting in 5 of its last 6 games. Chicago has also leaned Under, going 6-1-1 in its last 8 contests. With Crochet on the mound, the Under has cashed in 4 of his last 6 starts. Stick with the trend.

At Wrigley Field on Saturday, the Chicago Cubs (three straight wins) play the Boston Red Sox at 7:15 p.m. ET. The Cubs are favored (-149 moneyline odds to win) when they square off against the Red Sox (+125). The starting pitchers are Shota Imanaga (6-3) for the Chicago Cubs, and Jose Bello for the Boston Red Sox.

Shota Imanaga struck out Aaron Judge twice while pitching seven sparkling innings, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees.

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) January 12, 2024 “Where’s Shota?” became a kind of running joke around Imanaga, who had traveled to the United States in the fall and returned to Illinois again at ...