Reports: A deal have just been finalised between the Chicago Cubs and Rivals to trade top experienced star in a blockbuster move

During their weekend matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Chicago Cubs have displayed a remarkable level of performance.

On Friday, Seiya Suzuki struck a home run that proved to be the game-winning hit during extra innings. In addition, Chicago was victorious on Saturday thanks to clutch extra-base hits from Ian Happ and Michael Busch, as well as a strong performance from its bullpen after two rain delays.

“(The bullpen) has been awesome,” Busch said in an interview that was broadcast on the Marquee Sports Network after the game finished on Saturday. They were able to successfully put together what they had on the mound regardless of who we were throwing out there. It’s a big factor for our team. This is something that they have been doing on a regular basis for quite some time now.

The Chicago Cubs are still in the running for a wild card spot in the National League, and they are hoping to win the three-game series against Toronto by sweeping all three games. When play begins on Sunday, Chicago is four and a half games out from the final wild-card place.

Shota Imanaga, an All-Star pitcher with a record of 9-2 and a 3.16 earned run average, will start for Chicago and will face Bowden Francis, a pitcher from Toronto with a record of 5-3 and a 4.92 earned run average.

After being defeated by the Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series earlier in the week, Chicago is looking to make amends for its performance. The Cubs had a record of 8-2 between the 31st of July and the 10th of August, which led to this result.

After a successful road trip, the Blue Jays are hoping to make it back to Toronto on Monday with a victory. After taking the Los Angeles Angels by storm, Toronto ran into a snag when they faced the Chicago Cubs. Chris Bassitt, the starting pitcher for the Blue Jays, was able to shake off the wait time and put together five innings of effective pitching despite the fact that the game was scheduled for a Saturday matinee and was delayed twice due to rain. He allowed three runs and five hits while taking the loss.

“All you need to do is learn your body and figure out how much you need to throw in order to maintain your looseness. It’s not hard to go off the deep end. According to Bassitt, who was quoted by Sportsnet, “it is also pretty easy to not be prepared.” It was like, “Just deal with it.” Simply accept the hand that has been dealt to you. The situation is exactly as it is. Simply relieved that nobody was hurt. My point is that it is obvious that no one can play Mother Nature and prevent it from raining. Overall, it was satisfactory.

Imanaga is going into Sunday’s start with the intention of making a comeback from his previous start this week. On Monday against the Guardians, he went five innings in a no-decision but allowed seven runs (three earned) on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts. There were two home runs among those hits.

In five starts since the All-Star break, Imanaga has one win and four no-decisions with 33 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings pitched. The left-hander, however, has allowed at least one home run in each of his second-half starts and 19 for the season.

A rookie, Imanaga never has faced Toronto. Francis won his most recent start. The right-hander pitched seven innings and allowed a run, a hit and no walks with eight strikeouts on Monday against the Angels in a 4-2 game. August has been the best month for Francis in 2024. He has a 1-1 record with a 2.19 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.

This will be the first start for Francis versus the Cubs. Last season, he threw 3 2/3 innings of hitless relief in a 6-2 Blue Jays loss. Toronto shortstop Leo Jimenez left Saturday’s game with right knee pain, pulled for a pinch hitter in the second inning. The Blue Jays categorized him as day-to-day.