CHICAGO — On a cold, gray Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, Shota Imanaga was unhittable for six innings before Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell pulled his starting pitcher and handed a 0-0 game over to his bullpen, treating the 162-game season as a marathon rather than a sprint.

Chicago Cubs fans are eager to blame someone after Friday's defeat, but Craig Counsell shouldn't be their punching bag.

The Chicago Cubs have plenty of reliable contributors on one of the most impressive lineups in MLB, and Ian Happ remains one of the most consistent players on the roster. Happ is off to a strong start in 2026, posting a .200 batting average, .289 on-base percentage, .839 OPS, four home runs and seven RBIs across his first 10 games.

Javier Assad threw a scoreless outing Tuesday night after filling in for the injured Matthew Boyd.

The Chicago Cubs are entering the third season of the Craig Counsell Era. After finishing the 2023 season 83-79 and in second place behind the Counsell-led Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs shocked everyone in baseball by luring him away from what he had called his hometown team.

Cubs' Craig Counsell reveals awful Cade Horton season-ending news originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Chicago Cubs are off to a slow start this season. They sit in last place in the NL Central with a 4-6 record, and things aren't getting any better.