Oh No: Cade Horton Leaves in 2nd Inning of Cubs Game Against Guardians

1 hour ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

They’ll all get going at some point, the vets anyways, especially when Suzuki comes back. There’s still uncertainty about what we have in Shaw, Ballesteros and PCA to a lesser extent. They still lack a Kyle Tucker so they’ll need solid production from 1-9 to replicate last years success. But not ideal to split a homestand against the nationals and angels.

My worry is more with Shaw and Ballesteros,  you never know what youre going to get out of young guys in year 2 or in Ballesteros case his first full season. 

At least with Shaw he'll be relegated to the bench once Suzuki returns but Ballesteros is being counted on to be the full time DH and right now theres nobody to replace him if he continues to struggle. 

Hopefully he gets going this weekend 

Riley Martin coming up. 

1 hour ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Riley Martin coming up. 

Makes sense bringing up a pen arm for now, then if they plan on starting Assad on Wednesday over Rea, they can just bring him up then.

2 hours ago, chibears55 said:

My worry is more with Shaw and Ballesteros,  you never know what youre going to get out of young guys in year 2 or in Ballesteros case his first full season. 

At least with Shaw he'll be relegated to the bench once Suzuki returns but Ballesteros is being counted on to be the full time DH and right now theres nobody to replace him if he continues to struggle. 

Hopefully he gets going this weekend 

It’s 7 games. Come on. There is going to be a 7 game stretch for every player in baseball where he might not hit. Mo has hit everywhere, including the majors last year. Shaw has hit everywhere until the majors, early in the year. And even if Shaw doesn’t hit much, he is a utility player anyway. If Mo doesn’t hit much they send him down and bring up Long or Alcantara. But, again, we are talking 7 games. I would say the same think if they were all hitting well. It would be just a hit streak. I am very frustrated too. Hate when they don’t hit. But I have watched baseball and followed it a long time. I know to expect players to play to the back of their baseball card. And try not questioning everything every time they struggle. 

49 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Makes sense bringing up a pen arm for now, then if they plan on starting Assad on Wednesday over Rea, they can just bring him up then.

Correct. That said, I think Rea will just start, and Assad will pitch in the minors. 

1 hour ago, chibears55 said:

Makes sense bringing up a pen arm for now, then if they plan on starting Assad on Wednesday over Rea, they can just bring him up then.

Martin has been stretched out and has been starting as well. 

Assad had good velo in his first start this year in Iowa but got crushed. He probably isn't coming up to take a start right now. It'll probably just be Rea with Martin coming up as someone who can go a few extra innings right now.

Seems like a perfect opportunity for Brown to step up and take a spot in the rotation.

5 minutes ago, JunkyardWalrus said:

Seems like a perfect opportunity for Brown to step up and take a spot in the rotation.

we have very different definitions of the word perfect

1 hour ago, Jason Ross said:

Martin has been stretched out and has been starting as well. 

Assad had good velo in his first start this year in Iowa but got crushed. He probably isn't coming up to take a start right now. It'll probably just be Rea with Martin coming up as someone who can go a few extra innings right now.

Actually Assad pitched well his 1st start. It was the second one he got pounded. 

1 hour ago, imb said:

we have very different definitions of the word perfect

Ha! Fair.

13 hours ago, Arlen said:

Cade Horton throws like a catcher. I wonder what Mike Marshall would say. They may need to convert him into a relief pitcher.

IMHO - his destiny is as a closer.  I said that when they drafted him. 

I had concerns about his ribs when we drafted him

• Something that happens very frequently happens
• people with multiple thousands of message board posts a year try to score internet points by saying that they, at some point, tangentially predicted this

Is very tiring 

I knew you guys were gonna say that.

22 hours ago, Gjfificifjdej said:

You probably are right but thats how I feel today. I see the same issues that tanked the lineup from June onward last year. 

Some people always have to feel the need to comment on other’s that don’t align with their views. 
 

I agree with you - they are playing like a 75-80 win team right now. A lot can change, but they have many holes to say the least. Bullpen looks brutal, Horton out for a stint on the IL, Steele is still out, Shota and Boyd are a bit inconsistent, and of course the lineup. We shall see - 

1 hour ago, Papa Cub said:

Some people always have to feel the need to comment on other’s that don’t align with their views. 
 

I agree with you - they are playing like a 75-80 win team right now. A lot can change, but they have many holes to say the least. Bullpen looks brutal, Horton out for a stint on the IL, Steele is still out, Shota and Boyd are a bit inconsistent, and of course the lineup. We shall see - 

What the horsefeathers are you talking about? It is a site to discuss the team. Of course people comment on other people’s comments. It is kind of the point of the site. You do so as well. When a team plays 7 games and someone says they have a line up that is worthy of 75 wins of course others are going to comment. I assume you have watched baseball for more than just this year. Every year teams have bad stretches. Maybe they will suck. Maybe this is a bad team. Or maybe the more likely option is they just aren’t playing very well right now. I have no issue with you disagreeing with my view on the team. I do take issue with you seeming to feel like it is wrong to comment when someone doesn’t agree with someone else’s views. IMO you or anyone else who is making an opinion in the team after 7 games is doing so very prematurely. Basically a hot take in a very short sample size. Now, if you really thought going into the year that this was a 75-80 win team before the year, I would disagree with you. Going into the year I thought this was a 90 win team and I still do. It is a long season. We shall see who was right. 

6 hours ago, CubinNY said:

IMHO - his destiny is as a closer.  I said that when they drafted him. 

I prefer my Closer frequenting the IL over a starter. Easier to cover.

1 hour ago, Rcal10 said:

What the horsefeathers are you talking about? It is a site to discuss the team. Of course people comment on other people’s comments. It is kind of the point of the site. You do so as well. When a team plays 7 games and someone says they have a line up that is worthy of 75 wins of course others are going to comment. I assume you have watched baseball for more than just this year. Every year teams have bad stretches. Maybe they will suck. Maybe this is a bad team. Or maybe the more likely option is they just aren’t playing very well right now. I have no issue with you disagreeing with my view on the team. I do take issue with you seeming to feel like it is wrong to comment when someone doesn’t agree with someone else’s views. IMO you or anyone else who is making an opinion in the team after 7 games is doing so very prematurely. Basically a hot take in a very short sample size. Now, if you really thought going into the year that this was a 75-80 win team before the year, I would disagree with you. Going into the year I thought this was a 90 win team and I still do. It is a long season. We shall see who was right. 

I was not saying “this team is only going to win 75 games” I was pointing out that they are playing badly on offense and it looks like it did for long stretches last summer. I don’t think thats a very hot take. April and parts of May covered up a lot of extremely poor hitting by the end of 2025 and its concerning to see that picking up where it left off. 

1 hour ago, Gjfificifjdej said:

I was not saying “this team is only going to win 75 games” I was pointing out that they are playing badly on offense and it looks like it did for long stretches last summer. I don’t think thats a very hot take. April and parts of May covered up a lot of extremely poor hitting by the end of 2025 and its concerning to see that picking up where it left off. 

Teams and players go through hot and cold streaks all the time, plus injuries happen.   There's nothing to be concerned about with either the 2nd half of last year or these 7 games.

7 hours ago, Stratos said:

Teams and players go through hot and cold streaks all the time, plus injuries happen.   There's nothing to be concerned about with either the 2nd half of last year or these 7 games.

I love playing around with splits. That 2024 offense was potent with a 110 wRC+ scoring at a 5.1 runs/game clip from july 4th onwards. The “real” 2024 Cubs.

9 hours ago, Gjfificifjdej said:

I was not saying “this team is only going to win 75 games” I was pointing out that they are playing badly on offense and it looks like it did for long stretches last summer. I don’t think thats a very hot take. April and parts of May covered up a lot of extremely poor hitting by the end of 2025 and its concerning to see that picking up where it left off. 

I wouldn’t worry. If we’re using first and second half splits as a proxy to predict the Cubs 162 game production for 2026 then Happ. Shaw and Nico posting a 139/130/122 wRC+ in the second half will pick up the slumping bats. We’ll forget all about Cade Horton with Tailons 1.75 second half ERA too. 

8 hours ago, Gjfificifjdej said:

I was not saying “this team is only going to win 75 games” I was pointing out that they are playing badly on offense and it looks like it did for long stretches last summer. I don’t think thats a very hot take. April and parts of May covered up a lot of extremely poor hitting by the end of 2025 and its concerning to see that picking up where it left off. 

I believe you said this was a 75 win offense. Which if that is your POV, I have no problem with you having it. I don’t agree, but that isn’t the point of my response to papa anyway.
Fine if that is really what you believe. Fine if that concerns you. The point is he seemed to suggest people responding to your comment were doing something wrong because they what you said didn’t align with their views. That is just silly.

IMO, your response is a bit of a hot take. Most metrics and projections show this team to have a top 10 offense. While that can be wrong, IMO, no reason to doubt it just yet.

Jays just lost 2 in a row to the WS. Should they be worried? Is their season lost. I mean a team that expects to win 90+ games shouldn’t lose a series to the WA, right? Hell, they might even be swept. It happens. This is baseball. I am sure this isn’t the first year you are following a team. But again, if you really believe the Cubs offense sucks, that is your opinion. I just don’t agree. 

20 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I believe you said this was a 75 win offense. Which if that is your POV, I have no problem with you having it. I don’t agree, but that isn’t the point of my response to papa anyway.
Fine if that is really what you believe. Fine if that concerns you. The point is he seemed to suggest people responding to your comment were doing something wrong because they what you said didn’t align with their views. That is just silly.

IMO, your response is a bit of a hot take. Most metrics and projections show this team to have a top 10 offense. While that can be wrong, IMO, no reason to doubt it just yet.

Jays just lost 2 in a row to the WS. Should they be worried? Is their season lost. I mean a team that expects to win 90+ games shouldn’t lose a series to the WA, right? Hell, they might even be swept. It happens. This is baseball. I am sure this isn’t the first year you are following a team. But again, if you really believe the Cubs offense sucks, that is your opinion. I just don’t agree. 

Completely valid points, I just see a lot of last years problems. Side note, yes, Jays fans are absolutely losing their minds over the start they have had. 

28 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I believe you said this was a 75 win offense. Which if that is your POV, I have no problem with you having it. I don’t agree, but that isn’t the point of my response to papa anyway.
Fine if that is really what you believe. Fine if that concerns you. The point is he seemed to suggest people responding to your comment were doing something wrong because they what you said didn’t align with their views. That is just silly.

IMO, your response is a bit of a hot take. Most metrics and projections show this team to have a top 10 offense. While that can be wrong, IMO, no reason to doubt it just yet.

Jays just lost 2 in a row to the WS. Should they be worried? Is their season lost. I mean a team that expects to win 90+ games shouldn’t lose a series to the WA, right? Hell, they might even be swept. It happens. This is baseball. I am sure this isn’t the first year you are following a team. But again, if you really believe the Cubs offense sucks, that is your opinion. I just don’t agree. 

The first half splits from last season predate 2025 going all the way back to July of 24. They’ve been volatile since 2023 and it’s entirely possible the bats go quiet for the first month plus or so and then go on another 2-3 month tear like we’ve seen since 2023 with this core. 
 

From July 7th 24-July 6th 25 they went 96-66 with 859 runs scored to 637 allowed. They’re consistently streaky. 

3 minutes ago, Gjfificifjdej said:

Completely valid points, I just see a lot of last years problems. Side note, yes, Jays fans are absolutely losing their minds over the start they have had. 

Trust me, I am frustrated too. But I have been following the Cubs for a long time. I also know teams, all of them, go through stretches where people lose their minds because they are not playing well. I tend to always lean into career norms when I get concerned. Most times guys get back to their norm. And the Cubs norm would project to a very good offense. Would love for them to be 5-2 now. But, TBH, even if they were at some point they would struggle and unease would return. Long season, I am going to try to just enjoy it. But there will be ups and downs.