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Shota Imanaga's unbelievable start for the Cubs gets a reality check in Milwaukee

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Shota Imanaga's unbelievable start for the Cubs gets a reality check in Milwaukee


MILWAUKEE — Regression was inevitable for Shota Imanaga, the Japanese pitcher whose first nine starts for the Chicago Cubs were almost spotless. It was always a matter of how soon it would happen and how much of a decline, not whether he could go undefeated and keep his ERA within range of zero. The game is forever humbling.

Two months into his rookie season, it’s conceivable that Imanaga will pitch in the All-Star Game, earn Cy Young Award votes and start Game 1 of a playoff series. Everyone in Imanaga’s camp and Jed Hoyer’s front office would have taken that when Imanaga signed a four-year, $53 million contract in January. All of their big-picture objectives remain in sight.

There will also be more moments like Wednesday night’s 10-6 loss at American Family Field, where the Milwaukee Brewers were all over Imanaga’s fastball/splitter combination. These things happen, and it was never as easy as Imanaga made it look. But given how this team is constructed, the Cubs will have trouble being good enough if Imanaga is less than extraordinary.

Because the Brewers aren’t going away. Not after watching manager Craig Counsell jump to a big-market rival. Not after trading Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. Not after showing interest in Imanaga but ultimately passing on the 30-year-old left-hander. So much will change over the next four months, but so far Milwaukee’s system still works.

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Brewers fans booed Counsell when he walked out to the mound in the fifth inning to take the ball from Imanaga. In giving up seven runs, Imanaga’s ERA increased from 0.84 to 1.86. He had allowed only five earned runs in his first nine major-league starts, a beginning that surpassed even Fernando Valenzuela’s and “Fernandomania” with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981.

“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.”

That attitude is a major reason teammates appreciate Imanaga and believe he will continue to make adjustments. They will need him to make up ground on the Brewers, a first-place team that heads into Thursday afternoon’s series finale with a 4 1/2-game lead over the Cubs in the National League Central.

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The Brewers didn’t appear to be off-balance or uncomfortable against Imanaga, a fly-ball pitcher who had surrendered only three home runs to the first 209 major-league hitters he faced. But there was Christian Yelich, Milwaukee’s No. 3 hitter, hammering a first-pitch fastball an estimated 441 feet out to right-center field for a two-run homer in the first inning.

Imanaga struck out only one of the 22 Milwaukee hitters he faced. He didn’t get in trouble with walks — there was just one — or bad defense. The Brewers put up five runs in the third inning with three singles, a double and a home run off Imanaga.

“He’s been the definition of an ace,” Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said. “This day was coming. He’ll learn from it. He’ll move on and figure out what was a little bit different today and come back the next start and be great.”

Imanaga had not pitched since May 18, when the Cubs won their second 1-0 game started by him. Counsell and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy rearranged their pitching plans off a rainout last weekend in St. Louis, skipping Imanaga in the rotation so he could get extra rest and then go on a six-day schedule for his next start.

The same instincts that led Counsell to pull Ben Brown from Tuesday night’s game after seven no-hit innings factored into that decision to prioritize Imanaga’s future and give him a break. Keeping those long-term interests in mind is a way Counsell gains respect from players. It’s part of how the Brewers consistently functioned as a strong second-half team.

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The Cubs also iced one of the hottest pitchers in baseball history.

Imanaga downplayed that angle — “I don’t really think there was an issue with that” — and said the time off was “good for recovery.” During his 10-day layoff, the Cubs experienced a five-game losing streak and flipped their run differential from positive to negative. The Cubs are now a .500 team through 56 games: 8-2 in games started by Imanaga, and 20-26 in the rest of their schedule.

“I guess the historic start is over,” Counsell said. “The great start is still here. Nothing changes from my perspective. He’s been a joy to watch. He’s been a huge part of us getting a bunch of wins. I look forward to him going out there again.”

(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)





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Milwaukee, WI

Studio Milwaukee at The Cooperage: Brigitte Calls Me Baby

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Studio Milwaukee at The Cooperage: Brigitte Calls Me Baby


While Studio Milwaukee Sessions at The Cooperage are inarguably a brand-new thing for us, Thursday afternoon’s performance by Brigitte Calls Me Baby may have been another landmark moment: most rock-and-roll swagger at a single session.

The boys from Chicago zipped up I-94 for an evening at Summerfest’s Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard but prior to that made the short trip across the water to play a mini-set for Radio Milwaukee members and lucky ticket winners.

Even before playing their first note, Brigitte Calls Me Baby exuded old-school rock vibes the moment they stepped right through the crowd on their way to the stage. From Leavins’ sunglasses-and-pompadour combo to bassist Devin Wessels’ expansive ’do to the CBGB style of guitarists Jack Fluegel and Trevor Lynch, there’s a throwback feel to the group that carries over to their performance.

Leavins’ vocals do a lot of that work, alternating between crooning and crowing while showing off his remarkable range — something that was present throughout the session. If the audience wasn’t won over by the time the band rolled through “Eddie My Love” and “Palm of Your Hand,’ Leavins clinched it when he was asked what he knew about Summerfest and answered, “it’s better than Lollapalooza, some say.”

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Whatever holdouts were left couldn’t help but be won over by set finale “Impressively Average,” the single we’ve been spinning with regularity on 88Nine. It’s a “gotta dance” kind of song, and the crowd was happy to move while no doubt making plans to use the free Summerfest ticket they scored to check out the band’s full set later in the evening.

You can listen to the full session using the player at the top of the page, and if you want to catch any of the remaining sessions at The Cooperage, check out our contests. There’s also a way for you to guarantee yourself an invite to all of our Studio Milwaukee Sessions, which you can learn all about on our membership page.

Set list

  1. “Eddie My Love”
  2. “Palm of Your Hand”
  3. “Impressively Average”
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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee high-risk traffic stop; man arrested, drugs, guns recovered

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Milwaukee high-risk traffic stop; man arrested, drugs, guns recovered


High-risk traffic stop at 27th and Capitol, Milwaukee

Milwaukee police conducted a high-risk traffic stop of a vehicle on Thursday, June 27, which led to an arrest and the recovery of a gun and drugs. 

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Officials say around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, officers conducted the traffic stop near 26th and Capitol. The vehicle matched the description of a vehicle wanted in connection to a shooting. 

The driver, a 32-year-old man, was arrested. A firearm and illegal narcotics were recovered. 

High-risk traffic stop at 27th and Capitol, Milwaukee

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High-risk traffic stop at 27th and Capitol, Milwaukee

Criminal charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.   

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Catholic Home reborn as part of new management company, Trinity Senior Services

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Milwaukee Catholic Home reborn as part of new management company, Trinity Senior Services


Since 1913, the Milwaukee Catholic Home has provided care for older adults. Still thriving, the retirement community is now part of a new management company known as Trinity Senior Services.

Trinity Senior Services oversees:

  • Milwaukee Catholic Home, which provides a continuum of services, including independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation;
  • Trinity Woods, which provides care to older adults and retired School Sisters of Notre Dame;
  • Clare Gardens, a sustainable farm operated in partnership with Catholic Ecology Center, which provides produce for Milwaukee Catholic Home, Trinity Woods and other senior living communities;
  • Our Lady of the Angels Covenant, a 48-unit religious community in Greenfield, WI;
  • Queen of Peace Friary; a Burlington, WI, senior housing community that is home to the retired Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe; and
  • Trinity Senior Services Care Partner Program, which provides home- and community-based services.

Both Milwaukee Catholic Home and Trinity Woods have on-site day care that collectively serves 170 children.

“The launch of Trinity Senior Services is the continuation of an amazing history that reaches back more than a century in Milwaukee,” Trinity Senior Services CEO Dave Fulcher stated in a press release. “The community of care we’ve nurtured for generations continues only to grow and our team is inspired by the opportunities ahead.”

The Trinity Senior Services network is best known for the Milwaukee Catholic Home and Trinity Woods, according to the company, which added that “the Trinity Senior Services network is unlike any nationwide.”

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“Its intergenerational impact reaches from the more than 800 older adults at one of its four senior communities to its 500-plus employees to the nearly 200 children attending day care located at its communities,” according to the company. “All services are now united under one management company and brand.”

Trinity Senior Services also offers a holistic program, A Life Engaged, that includes social, physical, nutritional, spiritual and cognitive components. 

“Our philosophy, Life Engaged, means that we serve seniors by empowering them to live a full life,” Fulcher said. “We believe a full life happens in community, where a sense of purpose and belonging to something bigger than self gives meaning and creates opportunities for health, wellness, learning, joy and hope. 

According to Trinity Senior Services, America’s aging population makes this the perfect time to establish the new organization, as more than 70 million baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, will be aged 65 or more years by 2030.

“We’re growing this community with intention so everyone involved feels a sense of purpose and feels they are a part of something larger than themselves,” Fulcher said. “Whether they’re a resident, a loved one, a team member or anybody else impacted by our services, we are here to help them to lead meaningful lives.”

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