WATCH: Craig Counsell on Imanaga's "excellent" outing, discusses Roki Sasaki |
Tony Crumpton
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- 9 hours ago
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell spoke to the media following the Cubs' 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers evaluating Shota Imanaga's outing in Tokyo, any specific strategy to face Roki Sasaki in the second game on Wednesday and more.
Watch the post-game press conference below:
Video summary/cliff-notes:
(00:00) Craig Counsell praised Shota Imanaga's pitching, noting he didn't allow any runs and induced weak contact. Despite a few walks, Imanaga managed the game well.
(01:18) The coaching staff had planned for Imanaga to pitch around 70 pitches, making his removal after four innings a strategic decision.
(02:27) Counsell acknowledged the opposing bullpen's strong performance, which prevented the Cubs from mounting a comeback.
(03:38) Looking ahead, the Cubs plan to attack early in the next game to avoid letting the opposing pitcher settle in.
(05:00) Counsell noted a key mistake—allowing a walk before Shohei Ohtani—which put them in a difficult position against a dangerous lineup.
(06:16) Defensive errors contributed to the outcome, with one directly leading to a run and another extending an inning unnecessarily.
(07:19) The Cubs struggled against high-quality split-finger fastballs from the opposing pitcher, making it difficult to generate offense.
