Cubs Face Cardinals on July 4 as Imanaga Brings 2.82 ERA Into Leahy Matchup

Q: With severe storms threatening Chicago, will America's 250th birthday see baseball or a rainout?

Baseball appears more likely than a rainout, though a delay was a real possibility. Chicago faced severe thunderstorm watches, flash-flood concerns and dangerous heat on July 4, with forecasts calling for storms in the afternoon and early evening. That put the Cubs-Cardinals game at Wrigley Field in doubt, especially with the watch running until around 7 p.m., essentially up to first pitch. But the available evidence points to the game going ahead. The matchup was scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT, and multiple signs indicate it was played: the Cubs’ official site carried a game-specific Imanaga video for July 4, ESPN logged a Cardinals-at-Cubs entry after midnight, and betting and broadcast listings remained active for the game. Reports also suggested the worst weather could ease later in the evening, creating a window for baseball and the planned postgame fireworks. So the practical answer is that America’s 250th birthday in Chicago likely got baseball, not a full rainout. The weather threat was serious enough to make a postponement or in-game delay plausible, but there is no solid indication the game was canceled. The most likely scenario was a game played after storms shifted or with only a minor delay, similar to other weather-affected Cubs-Cardinals dates this season.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 4

Shota Imanaga starts for Chicago against Kyle Leahy as the Cubs and Cardinals meet Saturday, with St. Louis chasing a series win.
Imanaga enters on a stronger run—2.82 ERA and 1.075 WHIP over his last four starts—after a late-May slump that included a homer-heavy outing against St. Louis.
Leahy has also steadied since facing the Cubs on May 30, posting a 3.76 ERA over five starts and allowing just one home run in 26.1 June innings.
Chicago’s recent splits frame the matchup: the Cubs are 30-20 at night versus 19-19 by day, 41-21 when they record at least seven hits, and 14-19 when strikeouts exceed hits.
Storms were again possible in the Chicago area Saturday, adding weather uncertainty around a regional Fox broadcast of the holiday game.