Cubs place rookie pitcher Cade Horton on injured list; will miss wild card series
The Cubs placed pitcher Cade Horton on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right rib fracture. The move was retroactive to Sept. 25, but will keep Horton sidelined for the upcoming NL wild-card series against San Diego.
Needless to say, this is a blow for the Cubs pitching staff. Horton has been arguably the best pitcher in all of MLB during the second half of the season with a 1.03 ERA in 12 starts since the all-star break.
“Losing players to injury at this time of year, it’s not fun,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “The player puts a lot into it. This is the best time of the year, everybody knows that, and it hurts.”
After an MRI exam Wednesday, the Cubs knew Horton had a rib fracture. The delay was trying to figure out if he could pitch through the injury.
“He really wanted to try, and we thought it was worth trying,” Counsell said. “We didn't get very far, obviously. And that's the way it goes.
“He thought he could pitch. We wanted to give him a chance, but it was clear after today that it wasn't going to be possible.”
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer went on the Marquee Network during the game to talk about Horton’s status.
“When he threw today, it was very clear there was simply no way for him to pitch without changing his mechanics, and even being effective,” Hoyer said.
“If we keep advancing, I don't want to limit (a possible return). In the near term he needs to no-throw and let that heal. It will heal fine, but he feels it when he throws. He felt he couldn't get any extension. If he can't do that, he's going to change his mechanics and risk further injury and that's what we can't have.”
Horton said he was sick during the Cubs' series in Cincinnati last weekend, and excessive coughing and sneezing may have caused soreness in his rib area. He pitched well in three innings against the Mets on Tuesday but had breathing issues and was pulled from the game.
Left-hander Jordan Wicks was recalled to fill the open roster spot. The best guess right now for the wild-card pitching rotation would probably be Matthew Boyd in Game 1, Colin Rea in Game 2 and possibly Jameson Taillon, Saturday's starter, for Game 3, if necessary. Shota Imanaga is a possibility but has been the Cubs' least effective starter lately.
“Roles are out the window,” Counsell said of the playoff pitching plan. “I'm using the word out-getters because that's really what happens at this time of year. It's just, 'How do we get 27 outs?' It's all that matters. We're just trying to get 27 outs.”