Cade Horton matches All-Star hurler Garrett Crochet, but Cubs’ bullpen blows shot at sweep
There was no sweep to start the second half for the Cubs, but they got an excellent pitching performance from rookie Cade Horton that might go down as more valuable as he continues to grow as a big league pitcher.
Matched up against All-Star lefty Garrett Crochet, Horton didn’t just do what Crochet did, he was arguably better, holding the Red Sox scoreless and to only two hits in his 5 2/3 innings Sunday. Crochet lasted longer, completing six innings, allowing a run on eight hits.
“When you’ve got Crochet over there, you know there’s probably not going to be a lot of runs scored,” Horton said. “[I was] just trying to navigate that and slow the game down.”
As good as the dueling starters were, the game was decided after they departed, with the Cubs’ bullpen unusually pounded as the Red Sox found their power strokes late. Relief arms Ryan Pressly, Drew Pomeranz and Ethan Roberts were tagged for six runs and surrendered a trio of homers in a 6-1 defeat.
But Horton’s performance couldn’t have been far from the wildest dreams of Cubs brass when the decision was made to promote the right-hander into an injury-ravaged rotation back in May. Though his first taste of the majors has been predictably mixed, he’s had the two finest outings of his young career in his last three trips to the mound.
The Cubs are in search of starting pitching at the trade deadline and have needed a boost in that department since lefty Justin Steele went down for the season early in the campaign.
But in neutralizing a contending lineup Sunday, Horton showed he can be part of the starting-pitching answer as the Cubs try to set themselves up for a deep October run, during which they’d figure to see a lot of arms like Crochet.
“Facing those [types of pitchers], I don’t need to get more amped up,” Horton said. “I think I actually need to slow myself down more, just because naturally, the environment and facing off with those guys, the energy’s going to be there. So it’s all about slowing the game down and controlling it from the jump.
“[Crochet is] a pro, he’s a vet. He knows how to navigate lineups, and it’s really fun to watch. There’s a lot to learn from that.”
Horton’s teammates have taken notice, too.
“He walked a few guys there to start a couple innings,” left fielder Ian Happ said, “but just the presence on the mound to get out of those innings and keep making pitches, his mentality is really impressive. That’s the thing that really sticks out.”
Atypical stuff from Cubs
Sunday’s loss featured some unusual play from the Cubs, who have spent the season as one of baseball’s best teams offensively, defensively, on the base paths and pitching out of the bullpen.
They entered Sunday third in the sport with 110 swiped bags. But they were nabbed twice on the base paths in the loss to the Red Sox.
Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was caught trying to steal third base in the second inning, just his fifth unsuccessful stolen-base attempt this season. Both Crow-Armstrong and manager Craig Counsell protested with the third-base umpire, believing Crochet, who made the tag at the end of a rundown, blocked the bag.
Later in the same inning, Happ was caught trying to steal second base.
In another rarity, the Cubs allowed an extra base when second baseman Nico Hoerner was charged with an error, ruled to have obstructed a base runner going from second to third.
Cubs pitchers also issued five walks, to the leadoff hitters in five consecutive innings. Only one of those walked batters ended up scoring, but it was a bizarre scene from a Cubs staff that came into the day with the second fewest walks in baseball.