Pirates no-hit by Shota Imanaga, 2 Cubs relievers in lopsided loss

Andrew Destin / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

CHICAGO — By Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s count, it had already happened three other times in his MLB career.

And now, the Pirates have fallen victim to the same unwanted fate 12 times in franchise history.

Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga and two relievers combined to no-hit the Pirates on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, as the visitors fell 12-0. Right-handers Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge covered the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, once Imanaga departed after 95 pitches.

"It happens. It's going to happen a lot more with the way pitching's going in this game,” Kiner-Falefa said. “You never want to be on this side of it, but hat's off. [Imanaga] did a great job.”

Just two batters into the game, it appeared the Pirates had already mustered a base hit against Imanaga. Bryan Reynolds reached on what was initially ruled an infield single, but a scoring change reversed it to a throwing error on Cubs third baseman Isaac Paredes.

“I think it makes it a little bit earlier when you think you give up a hit, and the hit's changed,” Kiner-Falefa said. “So, I think it's kind of like a nothing-to-lose scenario for him.”

After the first inning, Imanaga mostly cruised, racking up seven strikeouts against two walks. A couple other runners reached thanks to fielding errors by Paredes, who finished a forgetful evening with three.

Otherwise, Imanaga faced little resistance, relying primarily on his top two offerings of a four-seam fastball that sits in the low 90s and a splitter. The pair of pitches combined to induce 16 of Imanaga’s 20 whiffs, including 10 of them via the splitter.

“They’re both elite,” said manager Derek Shelton of Imanaga’s top two pitches. “I think that’s why he’s got 12 wins and is leading rookies in wins. That’s why he’s been successful.”

The Pirates knew full well what they were in store for, considering Imanaga blanked them across seven innings on May 18. But the 31-year-old rookie more than outdid himself this time around, guiding the Cubs to their second combined no-hitter in franchise history, 18th overall and first at Wrigley Field since Milt Pappas tossed one at the friendly confines in 1972.

Pirates hurler Domingo German, who struggled mightily in a spot start, was perhaps the only individual in attendance who could relate to Imanaga’s accomplishment. German threw the 24th perfect game in MLB history last season with the Yankees, and marveled at th e latest example of the Japanese-born Imanaga’s dominance in a stellar first year in North America.

“He’s a great pitcher, one of the best in the National League,” German said with major league coach Stephen Morales translating. “Today, like always, he was on, executing his pitches, and he did really well.”

On the mound

Even a significantly better offensive performance wouldn’t have done much for the Pirates given the way German fared. He was tagged for seven runs, six of them earned, across three innings before mercifully being pulled in lieu of a handful of relievers.

Of the nine hits German gave up, four of them came against a fastball that he struggled to consistently locate.

“I left a lot of fastballs up in the strike zone and they connected really [well],” German said. “I just need to continue to work on it.”

During his last three appearances, German has allowed 16 earned runs across 8 ⅔ innings. Little changed for the better on the Pirates’ behalf once German departed, however.

Left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks pitched a scoreless fourth inning after taking over for German, but coughed up a pair of runs in the fifth. Then in the sixth, the Cubs pushed two more across on a homer by Cody Bellinger off right-hander Kyle Nicolas.

While Nicolas has enjoyed a solid rookie season so far, the results have been shaky recently. Since Aug. 25, Nicolas has allowed six earned runs across 3 ⅓ innings.

In the eighth, Shelton turned to Rowdy Tellez for the third time this season. The first baseman yielded a run but served his purpose of covering an inning.

At the plate

While the Pirates produced diddly squat on the hitting side, such was far from the case for the Cubs. Bellinger, Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong all went deep for Chicago. The trio combined for eight RBIs.

Through the first two games of the series, the Pirates’ pitching staff did a banner job of keeping a surging Cubs team at bay. On Wednesday, however, such couldn’t be further from the case in a lopsided defeat.

“That’s a good lineup. They just made adjustments,” German said. “They’re a good lineup, and they just battled through the game and made adjustments.

They said it

"We've been knocked down earlier. Just got to find a way to keep competing and at the end of the day, it's still our stats and our record,” Kiner-Falefa said. “These games matter for what the organization wants to do next year.

“So, these games are very meaningful for everybody in the locker room. And I think individually, you've got to look at it that way."

Up next

Thursday: Nationals at Pirates, 6:40 p.m., PNC Park

TV, radio: SportsNet Pittsburgh, KDKA-FM (93.7)

Probable pitchers: LHP Bailey Falter (6-7, 4.41) for Pirates; RHP Jake Irvin (9-11, 4.08) for Nationals

Key matchup: Falter has yet to face the Nationals this season, but compiled a career 2.22 ERA against Washington across seven appearances spanning 24 ⅓ innings.

Hidden stat: Starting with Thursday’s contest, the Pirates will embark on their longest homestand of the season (10 games). Following a four-game set with the Nationals, the Pirates will host the Marlins and then the Royals.

Friday: Nationals at Pirates, 6:40 p.m., PNC Park

Probable pitchers: RHP Luis Ortiz (6-4, 3.19) for Pirates; LHP DJ Herz (2-7, 4.09) for Nationals