The MRI exam on right-hander Cade Horton’s back/rib cage didn’t come back completely clean, manager Craig Counsell said. But the Cubs are moving ahead with a throwing schedule that would allow Horton to pitch in the playoffs next week as long as he doesn’t have any setbacks.
“Cade is on track still,” Counsell said. “There are some areas of concern in the ribs in the MRI.
‘‘We’re going to continue to get more information on it and see where that leads us, use time on our side. But right now, Cade is a go.”
Horton isn’t scheduled for any more testing, but the team plans to have another physician look at his imaging and give a second opinion. They’ll rely on Horton’s feedback as he progresses.
The exact source of the tightness and discomfort Horton has been experiencing is unclear, Counsell said, but the Cubs still believe it originated with Horton’s coughing episodes while sick in Cincinnati last week.
“The reason we want to get as much information as we can is [we] want to make sure it’s safe for Cade to pitch,” Counsell said. “He’s adamant he can go pitch. We just want to make sure we’ve got all the information before we go out there in obviously a big spot for everybody.”
Horton is scheduled to resume throwing Friday. He took two days off after exiting his start Tuesday with tightness in his rib cage while taking full breaths between innings.
The Cubs are set to open a best-of-three wild-card series against the Padres on Tuesday. Their magic number to clinch home-field advantage is two.
“Fortunately, it’s not until next week,” Counsell said. “So that’s why we want to make sure to use this time to let Cade tell us how he feels, let Cade show us how he feels, consult with our doctors and let them make recommendations and get the best decision we can make.”
The Cubs lined up their pitching this week so that Horton, Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga could reasonably pitch in any game of a best-of-three wild-card series on regular or extra rest. Horton’s injury adds a wrinkle to their plans. But they still have options.
If the Cubs lose that first game against San Diego, pretty much every pitcher will be available in the must-win Game 2.
Boyd ended his regular season on a high note, holding the Mets to two runs and two hits in 5⅓ innings in the Cubs’ 10-3 victory Wednesday.
“It was an important outing for Matthew,” Counsell said after the game. “He just got himself into better counts. Seemingly he was the one controlling the counts, and that’s such a big difference for Matt.”
Boyd had wavered from that in his previous two starts. He allowed eight runs combined over eight innings. But on Wednesday, he was back to the version of himself that earned an All-Star nod this year for the first time in his career.
As Counsell took the ball away from him with one out in the sixth inning, he also congratulated Boyd on a great regular season.
“I fought to stay in a little bit longer, but he told me that we have more starts in store,” Boyd said. “It was pretty cool.”
Imanaga struggled against the Mets on Thursday night as he put the finishing touches on his own regular season. He allowed eight runs in 5⅔ innings in the Cubs’ 8-5 loss.
In his second major-league season, Imanaga faced new challenges, including a strained hamstring that sidelined him for more than seven weeks.
He still put together a strong year overall, but inconsistency since he returned from the injury is reason for concern entering the postseason.
