The Chicago Cubs are running out of time to settle their pitching picture, and Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga have made that task more complicated. Boyd has posted a 6.12 ERA in four starts in August, while Imanaga was pulled after just two struggle-heavy innings against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
That is a problem for a team trying to line up a four-man postseason rotation. The Cubs have spent much of the season riding a roller coaster on the mound, with the rotation depth praised early, damaged by injuries, then praised again after trade-deadline additions and Edward Cabrera’s return. Now the group is under fresh scrutiny as the playoff chase tightens.
Boyd's recent stretch has become a concern
Boyd’s season has already been shaped by two stints on the IL, and he has been limited to 91 total innings pitched. His recent run has only added to the uncertainty. He was lit up against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, and the Cubs have now seen him allow at least four earned runs in three of his last four starts.
As Alex Patt noted, Boyd’s underlying numbers also point in the wrong direction. He sports a 4.68 FIP and 1.24 WHIP, both well off the 3.65 FIP and 1.09 WHIP from his All Star 2025 campaign. His 5.01 xERA is also a sharp jump from 3.75 last year. Even with a solid 22.9% strikeout rate, the gap between his earlier form and his current results is hard to ignore.
The home run numbers help explain the change. Boyd has allowed 14 homers in 91 innings this season, after giving up 19 homers in 179.2 innings in 2025. His 1.38 HR/9 is also up from 0.95 HR/9 last season.
Imanaga has not been much steadier
Imanaga’s recent line is not much easier for the Cubs to absorb. He has a 5.68 ERA over his last three starts, and Sunday’s early exit against the Mariners followed a 6.19 ERA over three starts. The Cubs were hoping to use their depth to smooth out this part of the season, but both of their leading options have now created more questions than answers.
In August, Boyd and Imanaga have also not delivered much margin for error in the broader run-prevention stats. Boyd has produced a -2.5 run value in 25 innings, while Imanaga has been charged with -5 runs in that same span. Those numbers reinforce the sense that Chicago’s rotation has not had a reliable top gear lately.
What the Cubs can do next
For now, the Cubs may have little choice but to go with the obvious pitching picks and hope for the best. Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes were added at the trade deadline, giving Craig Counsell more options to consider, and the team may still need swingmen such as Colin Rea and Javier Assad if the rotation needs help. The bigger point is simple: Chicago does not have the luxury of waiting long for Boyd and Imanaga to turn things around.
That is why the situation around Daniel Palencia and the rest of the staff matters so much. The Cubs still have enough talent to stay in the race, but their margin is shrinking. If Boyd and Imanaga do not stabilize soon, the postseason rotation conversation could become much more about damage control than preferred order.
