This isn’t the news the Chicago Cubs and their fans wanted to hear.

Shota Imanaga left Sunday’s game in Milwaukee with a left hamstring strain, marking the second consecutive start the Cubs ace had exited early with an ailment.

In the bottom of the sixth Sunday at American Family Field, Imanaga raced to cover first base in hopes of completing an inning-ending double play. He started limping a few strides in, though, and grabbed the back of his left leg after Brewers star Christian Yelich crossed the bag safely.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell, athletic trainer Nick Frangella and interpreter Edwin Stanberry went out to check on Imanaga, and after a quick conversation, the left-hander was pulled from the game.

Julian Merryweather entered with two outs and runners on the corner in a scoreless game. He uncorked a wild pitch against the first Brewers batter he faced, allowing a run to score, then gave up a Daz Cameron RBI single and a two-run Caleb Durbin double before retiring the final out of the inning.

Imanaga’s exit was eerily similar to his departure from his previous start Tuesday in Pittsburgh. He left after only one batter in the sixth with what later was revealed to be leg cramps.

Counsell addressed Imanaga’s injury with reporters after the game.

“He did it kind of on the run over to first base,” Counsell said. “We’ll probably do some imaging to see what’s going on. He’s never had any lower body muscle strains, so he’s a little unsure of what the feeling means. But he felt something for sure. So, we’ll get it checked out tomorrow and go from there.”

Imanaga felt no lingering effects from his start in Pittsburgh entering Sunday.

“This week, my body physically felt really good. Even before the game, it felt amazing,” Imanaga said through interpreter Stanberry. “There was no sign of the back of my leg before the game or anything like that. So, I’m in shock.”

Imanaga described the injury he suffered Sunday as different than what he felt in his last start.

“It’s the front of thigh, so it’s different from Pittsburgh,” Imanaga told reporters. “… It’s the first time it’s ever happened, so I can’t really tell how bad it is.”

The Cubs can ill afford to lose Imanaga for any stretch, particularly with fellow lefty Justin Steele out for the season after having elbow surgery.

Veteran starters Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea have pitched well, and young right-hander Ben Brown had a bounce-back start Friday in Milwaukee with six shutout innings, but there isn’t much depth after that. Top prospect Cade Horton is dominating Triple-A, with a 1.17 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 23 innings, and might be the answer if needed.