Cubs manager points to key moment for Cade Horton's development

DENVER — Before Cade Horton took the mound on Friday night at Coors Field, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell detailed not only how the 24-year-old rookie has succeeded this season, but also why he is ready for what is expected to be a pressure-filled September on Chicago's North Side.

With the Cubs entering Friday's series opener at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies holding the top wild-card spot in the National League thanks to a 76-58 mark, the development of Horton has been a big key for Chicago's success this season. 

Horton entered his start on Friday with a 2.88 ERA in his first 18 games (17 starts) covering 93.2 innings. 

Those numbers would certainly be better without a seven-run outing against the Houston Astros on June 27. However, since then, Horton has been almost untouchable, sporting a 0.49 ERA in 37.0 innings since the All-Star break, with opponents hitting just .144 against him since July 20.

Counsell told reporters on Friday that the bumpy outing against Houston set the stage for what was to come for Horton.

"I think the Houston outing was a very good learning experience for him," Counsell said. "I think that was a real learning experience for him, but in a kind of a different way, almost more I think something that'll help him in should he get some some big starts down the stretch here. It shows what the atmosphere can do to your execution level if you stay within yourself and move into the next pitch with the same conviction as before the bad thing happened."

Counsell added that one of Horton's biggest advantages on the mound is his confidence.

"I think it's just a credit to his stuff and the confidence he has in his stuff, attacking at times some bigger parts of the strike zone, instead of having to be super fine," Counsell said. "It's just a high level of execution, because not every pitch is a strike. Sometimes there are balls getting swings at too and that's credit to him making balls look like strikes."

Horton cruised through the first two innings at Coors Field on Friday, needing just 21 pitches to get through both frames. However, he ran into trouble in the fourth, walking the leadoff batter and then giving up a two-run, two-out homer to Yanquiel Fernandez.

Those two runs allowed matched the two Horton had given up over his last seven starts.