After the Cubs annihilated the Cardinals yesterday afternoon at Wrigley it looked like they had wrapped up the top seed in the NL wild card. It’s still a forgone conclusion that they’ll edge out the Padres and host them come Tuesday.

That being said, the breaking news that Cade Horton has been placed on the 15-day IL is troubling news. I had hoped that he would have started Game 1, as he has been the best and most consistent Cubs starting pitcher this season. I don’t understand the nature of a right rib fracture and which pitch caused it. Therefore, I’m not blaming anyone for the setback. And contrary to my misgivings the other day (and for months) about Shota Imanaga, I believe he has the mental toughness to step up and fill the void. I hope we get Shota2024 and not the 25 version.

I’d also like to clarify my recent post about my worries about the Cubs. I’ll stick by my guns and doubts but should declare that there are no super teams in 2025. Except for the blindest fans who know nothing about the game, every fan base has concerns about their team. Most of those concerns are warranted as there’s no predicting which version of their team will come to play in October. Rather than suggesting, this era is somehow better, I’ll argue that uncertainty reigns. Thankfully, I’m not putting any money down, that’s an added level of stress I don’t need.

Since the A’s dominance of the early 1970’s, I’ve learned the unexpected, lesser-known ballplayers often step up big time and win games and entire series. The laziest of national writers/bloggers will compile their biggest surprise stars of the postseason. However, most of the guys on the list aren’t as unknown as they suggest. As a longtime fan and student of the game, I know to suspect any bit player in a key moment (against my team) and expect the worst. That’s when you tip your hat and hope that you have a Kurt Bevacqua up your sleeve and on your bench swinging a bat and blowing gigantic bubbles.

Hopefully Horton will be able to pitch in the NLDS and LCS.