Rookies Shaw, Horton can learn a lot from big-game players Tucker, Pressly

HOUSTON -- Before Friday’s game at Daikin Park began, the Astros played an almost four-minute montage video in honor of Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly, who were making their first trip to Houston since being traded to the Cubs over the winter.

“It gave me a little bit of the chills watching that,” Cubs rookie Matt Shaw said, “the crowds and the World Series and all that stuff.”

The video linked career highlights for both players -- tied together with footage of the final out of the 2022 World Series triumph. Pressly fired the final pitch. Tucker caught the ball for the final out. Surrounded by media in the visitors’ dugout Friday afternoon, Pressly smiled before Friday’s game and said he hoped to recreate that moment with the Cubs.

That related to Shaw’s next thought as he watched the tribute in the moments leading up to Friday’s 7-4 loss.

“It makes me just kind of feel like we’ve got a lot of experience in those big games on our team,” Shaw said. “That’s going to be vital down the stretch for us, especially for young guys like me, to have guys that have been through it and have the experience, and can kind of help me along the way through big games.”

That was part of the idea behind the aggressive decision by Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to acquire both Tucker and Pressly from Houston in separate deals over the offseason. Tucker is one of the game’s elite left-handed bats, Pressly has conquered high-leverage innings for years, and they both have lengthy October resumes.

Their experience -- combined with the likes of Dansby Swanson, Justin Turner and the other World Series-tested veterans in the room -- can help rookies like Shaw and starter Cade Horton. There is also no learning experience like stepping into the kind of intimidating environment that Daikin Park can present, even in late June.

Horton admitted he struggled to “slow the game down” in the first real tough outing of his young career. The 23-year-old righty -- the Cubs’ first-round pick in the 2022 Draft -- allowed seven runs in four innings. That included three via a homer by fellow rookie Cam Smith, who was the Cubs’ first-rounder in ‘24 and a key piece in the trade that netted Tucker.

“This was a really good regular-season environment,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “The fans do a great job. This place is loud, always. And I just told Cade that this is a good example of what the playoffs are going to look like. Turn it up a couple notches, but of a road game that we’ve played this year, this is probably the best example that Cade’s had of what it turns into.”

Horton -- recently graduated from his status as the Cubs’ top prospect and part of Pipeline’s Top 100 list -- had his contract selected in May after Shota Imanaga landed on the injured list. The rookie spun a 3.73 ERA in his first eight appearances and convinced the North Siders to keep him in the rotation after Imanaga returned earlier this week.

Houston’s lineup went on the attack and took advantage of a young pitcher laboring to settle into a rhythm.

“I let my emotions get the best of me,” Horton said. “I’ve just got to learn from it and move on. I’ve been in this spot before. … That experience right there will help me be better in October.”

The trade to land Tucker not only shipped away Smith (a third-base prospect for the Cubs at the time), but veteran third baseman Isaac Paredes. Combined with other subtractions, the Cubs cleared the path to third base for Shaw, who was the team’s first-round pick in ‘23.

Shaw struggled in April and was sent back to Triple-A Iowa to work on some mechanical adjustments. He returned on May 19 and hit at a .339 clip (.879 OPS) to push his overall OPS to a season-high .711 on June 7. He then spiraled again, hitting just .115 (6-for-52) in the 16 games leading up to Friday.

The 23-year-old third baseman then delivered a pair of doubles -- driving in three runs -- in his last two at-bats on Friday. His effort brought on a sense of relief personally, but the comeback fell short for the Cubs.

In the long run, Shaw felt young players like himself and Horton will be able to learn from it.

“We’re both learning,” Shaw said. “We’ve both succeeded a little bit and failed a little bit, and I’m sure there’s going to be a lot more of both in our careers. It’s good that we have each other and that we can kind of do it together.”