Shota Imanaga under 4.5 strikeouts x 2 units

Our first play of the 2025 MLB season comes in the Tokyo Series where we will be fading Shota Imanaga’s strikeout total for game one.

Imanaga had an uninspiring spring, losing vertical break and mph on his fastball. Despite this, he is still stretched out to 75 pitches. We can expect him to land in the 75-90 range for Tuesday’s game.

In two starts vs the Dodgers last year, Imanaga struck out 3 and 4 batters respectively. The Dodgers were the best lineup vs LHP and still grade out well even in the absence of Mookie Betts.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he will treat this two game series as a playoff format with an expanded roster and 10 arms in the bullpen.

While the story line would be great for the Japanese-born Imanaga to do well in his return, the value, given the Dodgers lineup strength and his pitch count, does not bode well for the left hander.

We will be taking under 4.5 strikeouts for 2 units to start our season.