It was a tale of three pitchers.
The first order of business for the Cubs on Sunday morning was to place relief pitcher Colten Brewer on the 60-day injured list with a left-hand fracture.
On Saturday he had punched a dugout wall in frustration.
But later on Sunday, Cubs starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski helped deliver a knockout punch pitching 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball on one hit as the Cubs beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-0 in front of a Wrigley Field crowd of 34,355.
The Cubs closed the day learning that rookie pitcher Shota Imanaga was named to the National League All-Star team, although it is doubtful he will participate in the July 16 game if he pitches Sunday in St. Louis.
The Cubs (42-49) benefited from a strong outing by Wesneski (3-5), who allowed just one hit and a walk in the game. But there was a scary moment when the right-hander was hit in the pitching hand on a comebacker from Luis Guillorme.
The ball deflected toward shortstop Dansby Swanson, so he barehanded it and threw to Michael Busch at first for the out.
“The ball caught me in the middle fingers and those are basically the fingers I need,” Wesneski said.
He appreciated Swanson’s role in the out.
“It was sick — it was cool,” Wesneski said. “At this point it’s expected because he’s that good.”
“That’s why he’s one of the best shortstops in the world,” Busch said.
On offense, Busch homered and drove in two runs while Miguel Amaya had two hits and drove in a run.
Hector Neris notched his 12th save after Luke Little loaded the bases in the ninth.
It’s just the second time the Cubs won a series since beating the White Sox two games on June 4-5. The Cubs are 8-1 against the American League in games at Wrigley Field.
After the game, the team had a meeting about the All-Star selection.
The left-handed Imanaga, 30, is 7-2 with a 3.16 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 91 innings in his first Major League Baseball season after starring with Yokohama in Nippon Professional Baseball.
“I can tell the Chicago Cubs fans and my fans in Japan the good news,” Imanaga said through an interpreter. “When I was going into the meeting, I wasn’t sure what the topic was about. The team has plenty of amazing players and when I found out I was chosen, it made me very happy.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Imanaga seems to always be happy.
“The competition in this game is so hard and so intense and for most of us, we have to have this game face on,” Counsell said. “But the way he competes, there is just a joy in the way he competes.
“I think we are all a little jealous of that — the way we see him compete. At least I am. It’s really fun to watch.”
There was no joy for Brewer on Sunday as he berated himself for punching the wall.
“My frustration got the best of me,” Brewer said. “I threw a few punches into the wall and my intention wasn’t to break my hand.
“I was frustrated and made mistakes. That’s no excuse. There is a lot I can prove out there that I can’t do something like that.”
The Cubs called up Hunter Bigge from Triple-A Iowa to take Brewer’s place. The 26-year-old Harvard product was 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA in 11 games and was 6-for-6 in save opportunities.
“Marty Peavey, the Triple-A manager pulled me into his office and told me I was going to Chicago to play for the Chicago Cubs,” Bigge said before Sunday’s game. “I couldn’t stop smiling for 10 minutes and then I couldn’t stop crying for about 10 minutes. It’s been a crazy 12 hours.”
Counsell had no update on starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks, whose nightmarish season continued when he left Saturday’s game after two innings with back issues.
“We have to give him some time,” Counsell said of Hendricks. “And we have some time to give him. Clearly, he’s going to have to make progress and we’re hopeful he can.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
