Losing key players early is not a good look for the Chicago Cubs as Shota Imanaga adds to the list after suffering cramps in their 9-0 win over the Pirates. Shota Imanaga had a promising game with the Cubs so far this season, and his big game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing six scattered hits over the five-plus scoreless innings in the series opener at PNC Park. However, it cannot be denied that his sudden exit with cramps had a lot of fans worried, and it may even end up being something bigger at this point.

The Cubs have found themselves back to the win column in this 9-0 win over the Pirates, which was initially 4-0 when Imanaga was blowing the game away before he left with his trainer due to cramps. As one of the highly anticipated talents in the National League, it does seem that there is a lot of hype in his development with the team.

But with cramps, it does seem that there are plenty of worries about the pace of his game at this point, and some even say that he would be sidelined and have his play affected in the coming weeks. That is yet to be determined as there is still no official report on his potential injury, but rather an unfortunate timing for his leg cramps.

An Imanaga Scare

Imanaga has been on a promising groove in most of his outing, retiring seven of the Pirates’ first eight batters. Pittsburgh tried to respond by loading the bases against him in the fifth inning with a pair of two-out base hits and a walk, but Imanaga responded by striking out Bryan Reynolds on three pitches to clear out the block.

“He’s got the unique fastball that is just hard to get on top of. You put it in that part of the strike zone, it's even harder. Hitters really cheat to get on top of it,” said manager Craig Counsell. “You can’t because of the splitter. That’s the genius of the way Shota pitches. Those unique properties to the fastball and the level of execution make it really hard.”

He gave up a leadoff couple to Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen at the bottom of the sixth inning before the Cubs trainers came in at the behest of the team. Imanaga was quickly examined and manager Craig Counsell gave the green light to remove his budding talent from the game.

Leg cramps were initially said to be the main cause of Imanaga being removed from the game. The Cubs suddenly brought in Daniel Palencia from their bullpen. Imanaga did not return to the game as the Cubs walked off with a 9-0 win. Before that exit, Imanaga played six games, posting a 2-1 record with a 3.18 ERA, striking out 27 batters in 34 innings.

Positivity in Imanaga’s Status

Imanaga’s status has been a worry not just for the whole team, but for the Cubs fans as well. So far, the Cubs have found themselves in a winning groove in the season so far, and one can say that they would really need Imanaga’s services to come up with a shot at the World Series or even the playoffs at the very least.

“That’s what you expect from Shota,” Counsell added. “He’s shown us time and time again. The two outings before, I think he pitched pretty well. Some things didn't go right for him. That’s what you expect. We’re spoiled by it.”

With the way Imanaga has managed to come up with a promising performance before the leg cramps, it is easy to say that he would be coming back stronger and better in his games with the hopes of having no issues moving forward.