Shota Imanaga tossed seven shutout innings and five players hit solo home runs Saturday, carrying the Chicago Cubs to a 6-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.

The impact of Imanaga’s return to the Cubs rotation can’t be overstated. The lefty missed nearly two months after straining a hamstring in early May. While the team continued to play good baseball, it’s clear that Imanaga, when he’s at his best, makes this team more dangerous.

The Chicago Cubs could be eyeing multi-player trade packages with these five teams to address their starting pitching, bullpen and third baseman needs at the 2025 MLB trade deadline.

The Chicago Cubs have been looking sharp since returning from the All-Star break. They definitely give off the vibe of being ready for a strong second-half run, even if they can’t seem to shake the red-hot second place Milwaukee Brewers,

Imanaga turned in his latest gem since returning from the injured list, throwing seven scoreless innings in the Cubs' victory against the Red Sox.

BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox. Chicago is 31-16 at home and 58-39 overall. The Cubs have a 44-7 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.

At Wrigley Field on Saturday, the Chicago Cubs (three straight wins) play the Boston Red Sox at 7:15 p.m. ET. The Cubs are favored (-149 moneyline odds to win) when they square off against the Red Sox (+125). The starting pitchers are Shota Imanaga (6-3) for the Chicago Cubs, and Jose Bello for the Boston Red Sox.

Shota Imanaga struck out Aaron Judge twice while pitching seven sparkling innings, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees.