Shota Imanaga made his third straight start without allowing an earned run as the Chicago Cubs defeated the host Seattle Mariners 4-1 on Saturday night in an interleague game.
Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch and Miguel Amaya hit solo home runs and third baseman Christoper Morel made a pair of sterling defensive plays as the Cubs snapped a two-game losing streak.
Imanaga (2-0), a two-time All-Star in Japan who signed with the Cubs in the offseason, went 5 1/3 innings and gave up one unearned run on five hits. The left-hander issued two walks and struck out four.
With the Cubs leading 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Imanaga lost his command, walking both Mitch Haniger and Jorge Polanco to lead off the inning. Morel then prevented extra-base hits on consecutive plays.
First, he made a diving stop on a ball hit down the line by Mitch Garver, with both runners moving up a base but Garver being thrown out at first. Then he made a leaping catch on Dylan Moore’s liner off reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to prevent the Mariners from taking the lead. Leiter got pinch hitter Dominic Canzone to fly out to left to end the inning.
Four Cubs relievers combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk. Adbert Alzolay worked the ninth for his second save of the season.
Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock (1-2) took the loss despite posting a quality start. Hancock went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits, with no walks and four strikeouts.
The Cubs opened the scoring in the top of the second on Nico Hoerner’s sacrifice fly after Dansby Swanson and Busch singled with one out.
The Mariners tied it with an unearned run in the bottom of the inning. Haniger reached on an error by first baseman Busch, who failed to catch a throw from shortstop Swanson. Polanco lined a single to center and, with two outs, Luis Urias doubled down the left field line to tie the score before Imanaga fanned Seby Zavala to end the inning.
The Cubs regained the lead in the third, as Suzuki went deep to left-center with two outs. It was his third homer of the season.
Busch homered for the third consecutive game, going deep to right off Mariners reliever Tyson Miller with one out in the seventh to give Chicago a 3-1 advantage.
Amaya led off the eighth with a homer to left-center off Austin Voth.
–Field Level Media
