Rainout forces – Shota Imanaga’s scheduled start against the Blue Jays was pushed when rain postponed Sunday’s game at Wrigley Field. After the Cubs set him for Monday against the Mets, the team also outlined Tuesday and Wednesday starters, leaving Thursday’s plan open as it w
On Sunday morning at Wrigley Field, the grounds crew unfurled the tarp over the infield and Shota Imanaga stayed ready—but off-script.
He was in the outfield working through a light workout. He stretched. He went through a short period of catch. Then the rain changed the timing, turning what was supposed to be his start against the Blue Jays into a postponement.
Instead of taking the ball against Toronto in the finale of the series, Imanaga is now slated to start Monday in the opener of a four-game set against the Mets in New York. The delay wasn’t a matter of preference; it was driven by a rainy forecast expected to last late into the evening.
The Cubs and Blue Jays will make up that postponed game at 1:20 p.m. CT on Aug. 6. For Chicago, that added contest reshapes the next stretch, creating a seven-game homestand that comes with sets against the Yankees (July 31-Aug. 2) and Dodgers (Aug. 3-5) before Toronto visits again.
As the tarp-covered diamond sat under the gray sky. Cubs manager Craig Counsell pointed toward the adjustment. noting that Imanaga would start Monday. Later. the team announced the next pieces of the rotation: Edward Cabrera will start Tuesday. and Javier Assad will take the ball on Wednesday. Thursday remains to be determined.
Ben Brown was originally listed as the starter for Wednesday, but Sunday’s rainout introduces flexibility. Brown has a 1.85 ERA this season, and the Cubs could be considering holding him until Friday’s game in Milwaukee. Brown has a 1.96 ERA in four career starts against the rival Brewers. a matchup detail that could matter when a staff tries to keep everyone lined up.
Another storyline sits in the background of those decisions: the expected return of veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd. He is on the 15-day injured list due to a left knee injury. Both pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and Boyd indicated Sunday that the pitcher recovered well a day after an appearance for South Bend.
Boyd is scheduled to throw a bullpen session in New York on Monday, and the Cubs will determine his next step from there. The team also left room for a quicker timeline, with the possibility that Boyd could be activated as early as Thursday.
For now, the message from the field is simple: the tarp came first, and the rotation shifted right behind it—pushing Imanaga to Monday, setting Tuesday and Wednesday, and forcing Chicago to weigh how best to use Brown and when Boyd can safely rejoin the mix.
Shota Imanaga Cubs Mets Blue Jays Wrigley Field rainout rotation Ben Brown Matthew Boyd Craig Counsell Edward Cabrera Javier Assad