Cade Horton proves a point to Cubs fans frustrated by Craig Counsell

Faced with another opportunity for a sweep against a lesser opponent, Chicago Cubs' manager Craig Counsell seemed to take his foot off the gas pedal, penciling in a lineup that didn't include Pete Crow-Armstrong or Kyle Tucker. Beyond that, rookie starting pitcher Cade Horton had a no-hitter through the first five innings of the game but was pulled after reaching a pitch count of 75 pitches. Horton had a 1-0 lead at the time of his exit, but it was short-lived as the Cubs lost to the Atlanta Braves 5-1.

Given the struggles of Ben Brown after Horton departed, many Cubs fans were quick to take issue with the fact that Counsell pulled Horton while he was in the middle of throwing a no-hitter. The Cubs have been cautious with Horton's pitch count during the second half, usually keeping the number around 75 pitches before pulling the plug.

Sure, part of that is tied to Horton pitching more innings this season than he has at any point since being drafted by the Cubs in 2021, but it's also tied to what's ahead for the Cubs. As it stands, the Cubs have a 9-game cushion in the National League wild-card race. They are nearly a lock to make the postseason, and that has the team wanting to make sure Horton will be available come October.

With his dominating stretch of outings since the All-Star break, Horton is making a strong case to be the Cubs' Game 1 starter in the postseason. Even if the Game 1 nod does go to Shota Imanaga, Horton has made it clear that he will be a part of the postseason rotation. That would be the reason why the Cubs won't be altering their approach to his starts before the end of the season.

“In the big picture, he’s probably got four or five regular-season starts left,” Counsell said after the game. “You’re hoping he’s got another four or five starts more after that. That could be eight to 10 more starts. That’s 40 to 50 more innings. That innings number could get pretty high. So we’re going to make sure that he is properly taken care of, and that’s not going to change.”

It has become easy to criticize Counsell during the Cubs' inconsistent play over the last two months, but the veteran manager is making the right call. After all, Cubs fans would much rather see Horton take the mound in a postseason start as opposed to Ben Brown.

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