Craig Counsell isn't the scapegoat Cubs fans are looking for after Shota Imanaga debacle

Shota Imanaga had his best start in years on Friday, silencing doubters by delivering six hitless innings with nine strikeouts against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Imanaga was in complete command, and yet, with a no-hitter and shutout intact, Craig Counsell opted to pull his lefty in favor of reliever Caleb Thielbar. Two batters later, what was a scoreless tie became a 2-0 Chicago Cubs deficit after a Bryan Reynolds home run.

Naturally, Cubs fans are eager to point the finger at somebody after losing a no-hit bid and eventually the game, another loss in a start full of them. And who's easier to blame than the manager? But as annoying as Counsell's decision played out, he should not be the one who is blamed for this outcome.

Pulling Shota Imanaga was the right decision

Cubs fans should know better than just about anyone right now how fickle starting pitching can be. Both Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd have suffered injuries in the two weeks since Opening Day, and Justin Steele remains on the sidelines recovering from surgery of his own. The last thing this team needs is an injury to a healthy starter like Imanaga.

Now, there's no telling whether Imanaga would've suffered an injury had Counsell left him in the game, but he had thrown 100 pitches through six innings. For reference, he threw more than 100 pitches just once in 25 starts in 2025 and three times in 29 starts in 2024. He has never thrown more than 103 pitches in a single outing.

Did Cubs fans want Imanaga to go well beyond 100 pitches for the first time in his MLB career in an April game in cold conditions against a lackluster Pittsburgh Pirates lineup? Why risk something going wrong health-wise in April when this team has legitimate World Series aspirations?

Ultimately, it's on the rest of the roster to do something they have not done in this game as of this writing: step up.

Craig Counsell is the individual least deserving of any blame

Imanaga was brilliant, but the same could be said about the Pirates' pitching staff. Carmen Mlodzinski shut Chicago's lineup down for 5.1 innings, and the bullpen chipped in 3.2 scoreless innings of their own. Imanaga could throw 20 hitless innings for all I care; the Cubs would not win this game without scoring a run. Had the offense done its job, the two-run homer wouldn't have been nearly as impactful. Respectfully, it's not as if Paul Skenes were starting this game for Pittsburgh, either.

In addition to the offense's no-show, can we talk about this Cubs bullpen? Rather than splurge on a big-time reliever, the Jed Hoyer chose to sign several veterans to short-term deals. The biggest contract the Cubs handed out to a reliever this offseason was to Phil Maton, who inked a two-year, $14.5 million deal ... and fittingly allowed six runs in four innings before landing on the Injured List. The Cubs' bullpen as a whole entered the day ranked 20th in the league with a 4.37 ERA.

That same bullpen immediately gave up two runs before recording a single out. It made sense to use Thielbar, Chicago's best left-handed reliever, but he just didn't get the job done. It's that simple.

Is it Counsell's fault that the lineup can't score? Is it Counsell's fault that the bullpen is not very good? What is he supposed to do in this position? Either wImanaga would've pitched much more than he should've, or Counsell would've had to rely on his inconsistent bullpen. Neither option figured to be promising, and the result was what it was.

Things went as poorly as they could've immediately after Counsell pulled Imanaga, but if you want someone to blame, point the finger at the lineup and at Jed Hoyer for assembling the bullpen that he did. There's only so much Counsell has control over, and the performance of his players and the construction of his roster don't fit into that boat.

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