Cubs have an obvious replacement for Cade Horton to start in the Wild Card Series

If the Chicago Cubs are going to make a deep run in October, they'll have to do so without rookie right-hander Cade Horton, who was placed on the IL this weekend and isn't eligible to return until the day before Game 5 of the NLDS, assuming the Cubs advance that far.

The best-of-three National League Wild Card Series kicks off on Tuesday at Wrigley Field. The first opponent lined up opposite Craig Counsell's club? The San Diego Padres, who finished second to the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. It seems safe to assume left-handers Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga will get a start in the series, although the latter may have a short leash given his long-ball woes.

But who rounds out the three-man rotation next week? To me, at least, it's an obvious answer: veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon, who offered nothing but praise for Horton this weekend while acknowledging the Cubs moved up his final regular season start to ensure his availability to start next week against San Diego.

Cubs' Jameson Taillon expected to fill in for the injured Cade Horton

“Cade’s been incredible. He’s fit right into our team. I know it hurt him a lot to have to go on the IL and not be a part of the first round,” Taillon told Marquee Sports Network. “That says a lot about him. He just wants to be a part of the team and wants to help ... He picked us up a lot this year when I was down for a while, Shota was down for a while. So now it’s our turn to try to pick him up and make sure he can hopefully play a part as we get going into the playoffs.”

Taillon's final postseason tune-up came on Saturday, when he fired six innings of one-run ball in the Cubs' 7-3 victory over St. Louis. Over his last seven starts, dating back to late June thanks to multiple trips to the injured list, he's consistently delivered. The former first-rounder carries a 1.85 ERA and 3.32 FIP across his last 39 innings of work - and he's the clear replacement for Horton.

Given the short leash Counsell could have Imanaga on, it makes sense to keep Colin Rea and/or Javier Assad ready to come in and not only eat innings, but give the Cubs a chance to win should things go sideways on the left-hander in his start. Rea has been much better than expected and Assad has always defied the odds, but Taillon has the track record - and recent performance - that give Chicago its best chance to win and continue their postseason journey.