The Chicago Cubs got off to a poor start in their series with the St. Louis Cardinals, getting shutout in the opener.

Things have not been going well for the Cubs of late, and they are heading in the wrong direction in the National League Central standings.

With the Milwaukee Brewers not letting up, winning the NL Central is becoming unlikely for Chicago.

Thier once prolific offense has cooled off of late, which has certainly contributed to them not winning as much. This is a unit that, not too long ago, was featuring two NL MVP candidates with Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong both being starters in the All-Star Game.

David Banks-Imagn Images

While the slump for the offense isn’t ideal, the main concern for the team over the last couple of months has been the starting rotation.

The unit has had to deal with several injuries, which resulted in them struggling overall. However, with some pitchers set to return soon, the hope is that they will be firing on all cylinders for the stretch run.

Furthermore, they have had one young pitcher step up when given the opportunity. Even though it hasn’t been highlighted much, Chicago has a talented youngster in the rotation.

Brian Murphy of MLB.com recently wrote about Cubs starter Cade Horton flying under the radar a bit despite performing very well for the team of late.

Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

“The Cubs and starting pitching were perhaps the most obvious team-need fit at last month’s Trade Deadline. However, Chicago made one addition to its needy rotation in Michael Soroka, and he lasted all of two innings before suffering a shoulder injury that will shelve him indefinitely.”

At the trade deadline, the biggest need for Chicago was to improve their starting rotation. The team had arguably lost its best pitcher for the season and needed a front-end caliber starter. Instead, they elected to trade for Washington Nationals pitcher Michael Soroka. The right-hander had been performing better, but unfortunately was injured after just two innings in his first start.

Aug 6, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton (22) throws the ball against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Wrigley Field. / David Banks-Imagn Images

The injury to their new right-hander has put even more pressure on Horton to continue to pitch well. As of now, he could be their third starter and is potentially going to be pitching in a playoff series.

Murphy added, “the Cubs need everything Horton can give them, and the rookie righty has given them a lot recently. The former Top 100 prospect has posted a 1.05 ERA over six starts (34 1/3 innings) since the beginning of July.”

Horton has performed very well for the Chicago, and them not going after a front-line starter might be because they believe in him going forward. Overall, the 23-year-old is 6-3 with a 3.18 ERA.

So far in August, he hasn’t allowed a run, and in four starts in July, he allowed only four. Even though starting pitching has been a hot topic for the Cubs, Horton might be the answer they are seeking.

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