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GOODYEAR, Ariz. \u2013 Cubs<\/a> manager Craig Counsell<\/b> isn\u2019t leaping to any conclusions after left-hander Shota Imanaga <\/b>was hit hard in his last spring training start.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first home run, I thought, was a good pitch that they hit,\u201d Counsell said Monday, reflecting on the previous day\u2019s outing.<\/p>\n For the next two, Counsell pointed to sequencing, a collaborative responsibility, as a potential issue.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the velocity was good again<\/a>, which is really encouraging,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cSo we\u2019re a step closer, on a good day of build up.\u201d<\/p>\n Those three solo homers accounted for the three runs Imanaga surrendered to the White Sox in 2 \u2154 innings. He pushed his pitch count up to 47. And his fastball velocity sat at 92.7 mph, nearly 1 mph above his 2025 average, according to Statcast. He touched 94 mph.<\/p>\n \u201cI focus on what the average velo is,\u201d Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. \u201cYou can throw 94 in the first, but what matters is, when you\u2019re in the seventh, eighth, you\u2019re in a tough situation, you can bring the velo up and execute a tough pitch. That\u2019s what I try to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n Each home run Sunday came on a different pitch. The White Sox\u2019 Edgar Quero<\/b> got to a high heater located above the strike zone. Austin Hayes<\/b> golfed out a splitter. Lenyn Sosa<\/b> turned on a belt-high sinker.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, results are important,\u201d Imanaga said. \u201cI go out there and try to keep them scoreless. And obviously [Sunday], that wasn\u2019t the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Imanaga harped on recovery between starts and honing that routine, as well as making adjustments to limit the long ball.<\/p>\n Imanaga has also been experimenting this spring with inputting pitch calls from the mound. He is not fully calling his own game. But the PitchCom device attached to the back of his glove opens up two-way communication with the catcher.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not really doing game planning in spring training like you would in a traditional regular-season game,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cThe purpose of using PitchCom for Shota is really just to give himself a little more time. So he\u2019s experimenting with that part of it, and how, how it does, or doesn\u2019t give him more time.\u201d<\/p>\n In theory, the setup could limit the back and forth that comes when a pitcher shakes off a call from the catcher. Those extra seconds are all the more important in the pitch clock era.<\/p>\n Kevin Alc\u00e1ntara <\/b>made his first outfield appearance of the spring on Monday, delayed slightly by his recovery from offseason hernia surgery<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alc\u00e1ntara eased into action as the designated hitter Saturday. And Counsell complimented the towering right-handed hitter\u2019s swing adjustments.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing that\u2019s impressive about Kevin is, he\u2019s hitting the ball really hard right now, almost different from everybody else taking batting practice,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n On Monday, Alc\u00e1ntara recorded his first hit of the spring, a single through the left side of the field, and drew a walk in four plate appearances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nPitch com usage<\/h3>\n
Alc\u00e1ntara in the outfield <\/h3>\n