4 Cubs Observations from the Tokyo Series

Two games into the regular season, the Chicago Cubs have already given fans some reasons to be frustrated.

Now, that’s not to say this series in Tokyo should ruin Cubs’ fans outlook on the season. Yes, they lost both games — 4-1 on Tuesday and 6-3 on Wednesday — to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yes, the losses featured some of the same themes of frustrating losses from last year.

But again, it’s only two games into the season. The Cubs also faced the defending World Series champions, a juggernaut of a team who is the odds on favorite to repeat in 2025. Even without two key bats in this two-game set, Los Angeles was always going to be a difficult team to beat.

Obviously, beginning your season earlier than normal, and doing so after traveling across the world and playing in a different environment in the Tokyo Dome, plays a role. So, no, you shouldn’t take too much from this brief series.

But they do play the games for a reason. Even though there are still another 160 to go, let’s go through some observations from the first two contest of 2025 anyway.

Cubs offense needs to cash in more

There were plenty of examples last season, particularly during the collective offensive slump in May and June, where the Cubs just couldn’t find the big hit.

They’d work nice at-bats, draw some walks or get a base knock or two and threaten to break out for a big inning — only to maybe scratch a single run across the plate. That was a frustrating theme that emerged for a good chunk of 2024.

Unfortunately, that theme followed the Cubs to Tokyo.

It wasn’t necessarily the case in Game 1 on Tuesday. The Cubs took an early lead in the bottom of the second but otherwise had only two baserunners from the start of the third through the final out. They really didn’t threaten Dodgers pitchers much.

In the Game 2 loss Wednesday, though, they had their opportunities to put more runs on the board. Facing off against rookie phenom Roki Sasaki, they went down in order in the first inning. But in their next turn to bat, their patience helped them get Sasaki in a jam.

Michael Busch walked to lead off the inning and later stole second before Dansby Swanson also drew a free pass. That gave them runners on first and second with just one out. But the shortstop was positioned perfectly to catch Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s line drive up the middle, and Busch was caught too far off second, ending the inning without a score.

The Cubs finally got a run on the board in the third. With one out, Jon Berti singled and Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Kyle Tucker all walked to make it a 3-1 game. But then Busch watched a called strike three go by, and Matt Shaw struck out on a slider below the zone. That left the bases loaded and let Sasaki escape the frame with no more damage.

They did make the rookie work hard. He threw first-pitch strikes to just three of the 14 batters he faced. There were plenty of good plate appearances in there.

But when it came time for the big hit, the Cubs couldn’t find it. A pair of two-out rallies in the fourth and fifth also brought in only one run apiece, and they threatened in the ninth, too, but couldn’t ring any more runners home.

Again, it’s only two games. A disappointing offensive outcome in Tokyo doesn’t mean that’s how the lineup will perform this year.

But considering the familiar feeling from some of their losses in 2024, the Cubs and their fans can certainly be a little frustrated.

Uncharacteristic outings from Cubs starters

Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele are the Cubs’ top two starting pitchers. Until someone else proves otherwise, those will be the guys who set the tone for the pitching staff.

Imanaga had a fifth-in-Cy-Young-voting-worthy season in 2024, his first in the big leagues. Steele had numbers on par with what he did in 2023, when he also finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting. It feels like they’ve earned the team’s trust at the top of the rotation.

Still, it was a bit jarring to see their first outings of the season look different than what we’re used to.

On Tuesday, Imanaga finished the game with no hits and no runs allowed. Obviously, those are great numbers for the box score. However, he also ended up giving out four free passes.

Last year, Imanaga walked multiple batters in a single outing six times (out of 29 starts). He walked three just twice and never walked four. Keeping extra runners off the bases helped him finish with a 2.91 ERA (sixth in MLB). Fortunately, his new career-high walk total didn’t cost him on the scoreboard, but it did bring his pitch count up to 69 by the end of the fourth inning, costing him more time on the mound.

Then on Wednesday, Steele fell victim to the long ball.

Between the 2023-24 seasons, he did a great job of limiting barrels and hard contact, which in turn limited the home runs against him. He allowed 0.76 home runs per nine innings, the third-lowest rate among qualified starters during that stretch. He also gave up multiple homers in a single outing just six times in 54 starts.

But the Dodgers have a lineup that won’t let pitchers get away with mistakes very often. That proved true for Steele.

In the top of the third, with the Cubs already down 2-0, he left a full-count four-seamer at the top of the zone. Tommy Edman turned on it for the first home run of the MLB season. Then the next inning, he missed the location of a 2-2 four-seamer and gave up a two-run shot to Kike Hernández.

There were bright spots in their outings, of course. Imanaga worked out of the jams created by the walks, and he finished with four hitless innings. Some mistakes let Los Angeles put some runs on the board, but he did strike out five and walked only one.

There are things to build on here. It’s also only one start into the season, coming earlier than in a normal season. So, they’re not even fully built up yet.

You can probably expect their outings moving forward to look more like they did in their previous, bigger samples than this week. That’ll just be something to monitor moving forward.

Shaw still a work in progress

If you feel like we saw mixed results from Shaw’s first two big league games, you’re not alone.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters in Tokyo that he didn’t “think [Shaw] swung the bat well this series.” He was complementary of what Shaw showed in the field, though.

Shaw, who made his first Opening Day roster, did make an error in Tuesday’s loss, but he otherwise looked solid at the hot corner. That includes this impressive diving play Wednesday, which helped keep the Dodgers off the board in the seventh inning. You could see the progress he’s made at third.

At the plate, though, Shaw didn’t have as a good of a series. He did manage his first big league hit in the fifth — it deflected off the pitcher’s glove, but it’s in the box score as a hit nonetheless — followed by his first big league run. However, that was all the offensive success he had in the series.

He went 0-for-4 on Tuesday, striking out twice (the second of which finished the game). He then finished 1-for-5 on Wednesday, again striking out twice. Shaw’s first strikeout ended the aforementioned bases-loaded situation in the third, and he later grounded out to short to close out the game (though he nearly beat it out).

Offensive struggles are bound to happen. They do for basically every rookie. We’re two games into Shaw’s big league career, so don’t be too concerned about the results. He’s hit at every previous level, and there’s reason to believe he’ll eventually figure it out in the majors.

That’s just how it goes when you finally get your shot. The offensive side of this observation certainly isn’t shocking. But while he gets more experience offensively, he’s already beginning to earn some trust at the hot corner.

Berti a viable bench piece

Tuesday didn’t go so well for Berti, the Cubs’ starting second baseman. He had the throwing error that brought in the Dodgers’ go-ahead run, and he finished 0-for-2 with a strikeout.

Wednesday, then, was a much better day for him. In the field, he started three double plays and also had a nice sliding stop to his left. At the plate, he went 3-for-4 and scored the Cubs’ first run of the game.

Obviously, these were different showings from game to game. But Berti isn’t expected to start at second this often, anyway. Nico Hoerner will normally be the Cubs’ starter at second, but with him missing the Tokyo trip to continue his recovery from offseason right flexor tendon surgery, Berti filled in up the middle.

Hoerner told 670 The Score on Tuesday that he’s gotten over 20 at-bats in minor league games, and he’s working toward potentially being available for the domestic opener on March 27. If he isn’t ready by then, Berti seems like a viable option to continue filling in.

But even if Hoerner takes back second base next week, Berti should still play a decent role for this club. He’s a utilityman with at least some experience at every position but pitcher and catcher (regular season and postseason). He’s also a veteran closing in on 500 games in the majors.

There will be a need for someone who can move around the field throughout the year. It’s only two games into 2025, but based off Wednesday and a productive Cactus League, Berti has the look of a strong depth piece.