Cubs' Shota Imanaga is pleased with his adjustment process early on in spring training

A few of the big differences for Imanaga compared to his time pitching in the Nippon Professional League in Japan are the rotation schedule of pitching every fifth day, the baseball itself and the pitch clock. After usually pitching once a week in Japan, Imanaga is ready for the increased workload.

“My pitching motion is about putting as little strain on my arm as possible, not deception,” Imanaga said of his delivery that hides his throwing motion until just before releasing the ball. “I have been getting used to the different baseball here and the mound since leaving Japan. The baseball is a little bit drier here. So being able to hold the ball properly and not lose the grip has been an adjustment. As for the pitch clock, it's been more time than I thought and I have not felt rushed to pitch yet.”

On Thursday, Imanaga threw his first live session against his Cubs teammates. He threw 25 pitches and was pleased with his performance, save for allowing a home run to infielder Patrick Wisdom.

“I saw the hitters were able to adjust to my pitches quickly,” Imanaga said. "I threw a lot of fastballs today. The next time, I will mix in more breaking balls. With Wisdom, I think he was looking for a fastball but got a bad slider up in the zone to hit. He crushed the ball. I know I need to work on that.”

Imanaga will likely be the Cubs’ fourth starter out of camp behind left-hander Justin Steele, right-hander Jameson Taillon and right-hander Kyle Hendricks. Imanaga and Steele are both scheduled to throw another live batting practice session before pitching in a Cactus League game this spring, manager Craig Counsell said.

As for how Imanaga’s stuff looked, Wisdom was impressed.

“His pitches have life to them,” Wisdom said. “The fastball was nice. The off-speed stuff was good as well. It was fun getting in there against him and seeing what he is all about. He has excelled as a pitcher in Japan by adjusting, so I know he will adjust here as well. The first time through, he is working on fastball command. I think the next time out we will see a lot of his other pitches. I know Shota is going to be electric for us.”

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine .