BOX SCORE

ST. LOUIS — Despite a rough first two games in the Gateway City, the Cubs entered Thursday with an opportunity to salvage a series split against their longtime rival.

They did just that, riding a strong start from Shota Imanaga in his return from injury to beat the Cardinals 3-0 at Busch Stadium.

[Willson Contreras, Daniel Palencia share heated exchange at end of Cubs-Cardinals game]

Thursday’s contest officially marked the halfway point of the Cubs’ season. They are 15 games above .500 (48-33) and sit three games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers in first place in the National League Central.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Return of Sho-Time

The Cubs had managed well after Imanaga went down with a left hamstring injury at the beginning of May. They were 26-19 from May 5 (the day after Imanaga’s injury) through Wednesday, an impressive feat considering they were also down their co-ace, Justin Steele, too.

But the Cubs are a better team with Imanaga and had shown signs of cracking, especially with their rotation. Cubs starters had a 4.91 ERA since May 5, the third-worst mark in baseball.

Imanaga showcased why his return was so important on Thursday. The left-hander threw 5 scoreless innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts and a walk. It was a typical Imanaga outing – which is definitely needed in this rotation right now.

He was on a pitch count – the Cubs were trying to keep him around 85 pitches as he continues to build back up – but he was efficient throwing 77 pitches in the outing.

Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon – despite Taillon’s last two outings – have been stabilizers while Imanaga has been hurt. But Imanaga was the team’s Opening Day starter for a reason – he’s been their best pitcher and the Cubs feel confident in picking up a win every time he’s out there.

It was the first step in his return, and will be a massive boost for the Cubs.

“Once you feel like [he’s built up], you’re getting a stopper, a guy who, he’s done so well for us over the last year and a half, when you need that big start, he’s the guy we saw from Matt Boyd yesterday,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said before the game. “Really stepping up and becoming, like, ‘I’m going to shut these guys down. We’re going to turn the tides here.’

“And that’s what Shota’s been able to do, too.”

Busch Stadium

Michael Busch made some quirky and fun history in Thursday’s matinee.

He became the first player with the last name Busch to homer at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium – any of the three iterations of the ballpark. His solo blast gave the Cubs the lead and marked a fun anecdote in the series split.

Peculiar history aside, Busch continues to quietly deliver for an offense that has been one of the league’s best. That was his 13th home run of the year and he has an .869 OPS this season, the second-best mark on the team.

He’s not getting as much fanfare as Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong or even Seiya Suzuki, but he’s been just as good as the trio. That’s a good thing for this Cubs offense.

Halfway there

The completion of Thursday’s game meant the Cubs officially hit the halfway point in the season.

Sitting in first place and 15 games above .500 is pretty good. But it doesn’t mean much yet, either.

“You have to be pleased with how we’ve played the first half, but it’s a looking back thing,” Counsell said prior to Thursday’s finale against the Cardinals. “And so that doesn’t guarantee you anything moving forward.

“I think it just shows you can be a good baseball team, gives you confidence you can be a good baseball team. Now, you have to do it for another 81 games. That’s how the season works.”

There’s reason to be optimistic this trend will continue, though. The offense has scored the second-most runs in baseball, the bullpen has been a strength and, as we mentioned, Imanaga’s return is a boost to the rotation.

The Cubs will be active in the trade market over the next month-plus – pitching, pitching and more pitching will be the priority – but the framework to build off the first half is there. That should make the next three-plus months exciting for Cubs fans.