Cubs to rest, monitor Horton after blister cuts G1 start short

CHICAGO -- The Cubs trusted rookie Cade Horton with the ball in the opener of this week’s crucial five-game series with the rival Brewers, and for good reason. Horton has emerged as a key part of Chicago’s rotation and has been one of the game’s top starting pitchers since the All-Star break.

Things took an unexpected turn on Monday afternoon, when Horton was forced out of the opener of the day’s doubleheader in the third inning of a 7-0 loss to Milwaukee at Wrigley Field. The culprit was a blister on his right middle finger that developed in the second and persisted as he pitched.

“It’s really frustrating,” Horton said. “Big series. Big game. And just the competitor in me wants to be out there and try to give my team a chance to win. But obviously, it’s probably better looking at it from a bigger picture, to go ahead and call it before it gets worse and [I] end up missing a lot of time for it.”

Horton noted that he has dealt with a blister at times throughout his career and expressed confidence that he would be able to make his next start. He said his history with the issue has helped him learn how to treat and manage it when it inevitably flares up from time to time.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said the team would give Horton a few days off before he picks up a baseball and sees where things stand with the finger.

“It’s not horrible, but it was clearly affecting him, so we just had to stop,” Counsell said. “We’ll just see what the next couple days bring and see where we’re at.”

After holding Milwaukee’s lineup off the board in the first two frames, Horton allowed a one-out solo homer to Brice Turang on a fastball in the heart of the zone. The right-hander then yielded a double to Caleb Durbin, and Horton could be seen looking at his hand after the play. He was promptly met on the mound by Counsell and head athletic trainer Nick Frangella.

Horton was examined and allowed to throw some test pitches, and he initially remained in the game. He then induced a groundout from William Contreras before throwing seven consecutive balls. That included a four-pitch walk to Christian Yelich and hitting Andrew Vaughn with a 2-0 pitch, leading to Counsell lifting Horton from the game.

Horton said he felt the blister in the second inning after throwing a slider, adding that the issue tends to be worse when throwing that pitch or his changeup.

“That’s the two that I really rip off the lace,” Horton said.

On the season, the 23-year-old Horton -- picked in the first round of the 2022 Draft -- has logged a 3.08 ERA in 17 appearances (16 starts). More recently, the righty entered Monday having spun a 1.13 ERA in his past seven turns and a 0.32 ERA in his previous five outings, which included a 28 1/3-inning scoreless streak.

That stretch came after Horton allowed seven runs in a rough four-inning start against the Astros in Houston on June 27, when he acknowledged getting rattled by the playoff-like environment. Horton was blunt in his self-assessment after that start and got to work on tightening up the mental and mechanical problems that arose.

“He’s done an amazing job,” Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd said. “What impresses me about Cade is his maturity, his ability to learn from his mistakes and, frankly, his ability to just really know what he does well and lean into that.”

Horton first joined the Cubs in May, when Opening Day starter Shota Imanaga landed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain. Chicago has also been without staff leader Justin Steele (left elbow tendinitis) for the bulk of the season and more recently dealt with losing Jameson Taillon (right calf strain) to the injured list. Amid the injury setbacks, Horton has played a key role in helping the rotation hold the line.

“That kid is really good,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I mean, that ball’s coming out. The offspeed stuff’s good. That kid’s going to be in our lives for a while.”