Yankees 2, Cubs 0: Warren Outduels Imanaga as Rosario and Jones Homer

Two swings. Zero runs the other way.

July 31, 2026 – Chicago – After two extra-inning losses on the South Side, the Yankees needed a clean night on the North Side. Will Warren gave them one.

Amed Rosario and Spencer Jones each took Shota Imanaga deep. Warren threw four-hit ball into the seventh with seven strikeouts and no walks. The New York Yankees beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 at Wrigley Field and looked nothing like the club that spent 12 and 11 innings losing to the White Sox.

Rosario ended a drought. Jones made it 2-0.

Imanaga retired the first 11 hitters and carried a scoreless streak to 16 innings into the fourth. Rosario ended both. He drove a center-cut sweeper 450 feet into the left-center bleachers for his 10th homer, his first long ball or RBI since July 1 against Detroit.

Jones followed in the fifth with a 418-foot shot to right-center, his fourth homer. Those were the first two hits off Imanaga and the only two runs either club scored. The Cubs managed five hits total and were shut out for the 10th time this season.

Imanaga still finished 6 2/3 innings with four hits, six strikeouts, and no walks. It was his sixth straight solid outing. It was also a loss because two mistakes found the seats and Warren never gave Chicago a way back.

Warren retired 12 in a row before the bullpen closed

Warren improved to 8-5. He retired 12 straight before consecutive two-out singles in the seventh. Paul Blackburn entered and got Nico Hoerner to bounce into a force after a video challenge overturned a safe call at second on Ian Happ. David Bednar worked around Pedro Ramirez's single in the ninth for his 23rd save and a combined five-hitter.

Ramirez had two of Chicago's five hits. Alex Bregman and Happ singled in the seventh. That was the threat. Blackburn and Bednar ended it.

AthX Engine put Warren alone at the top

AthX Engine (AthX's projection and scoring system) credited Warren with 25.66 pitching fantasy points, first on the entire Friday slate. Zero earned runs over 6 2/3, seven strikeouts, no walks. That is a board-leader line whether the final is 2-0 or 10-0.

Fantasy points measure performance under platform rules. Share prices also move with market activity through dynamic pricing. Warren's night is a pitching story first. The FP total is how it ranks against every other starter from Friday.

Fried and Peterson get the middle game

Max Fried draws David Peterson on Saturday. New York has won six of nine overall after the White Sox extras. Chicago will try to answer a shutout that wasted another strong Imanaga start.

Two solo homers decided it. Warren made sure nothing else was required.

Marketplace

*Sources: MLB.com Gameday final, ESPN recap and box score, MLB.com schedule, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*