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The Houston Astros took two of three from the Cubs over the weekend, but it was a series that left its mark on the Astros' roster. During the Astros' commanding victory over Chicago on Friday night, shortstop Jeremy Peña was forced to leave the game after being hit by a pitch in the second inning. Peña sat for the remainder of the series and on Monday, was placed on the IL with a fractured rib.
Así ocurrió la fractura de costilla de Jeremy Peña@AnaLuisaArias pic.twitter.com/9CrF6D4eJ3
— Enrique Rojas/ESPN (@Enrique_Rojas1) June 30, 2025
With the Astros on the ascent toward being one of the best teams in the American League, and Peña quietly making the case to be a part of the MVP conversation, the injury could not come at a worse time for the Astros.
Cubs rookie’s nightmare pitch just made him public enemy No. 1 in Houston
The blame for Peña's injury falls on one person, and that is Cubs' rookie starting pitcher Cade Horton. Horton, the Cubs' top pitching prospect entering the season, was making the ninth start of his career when he took the mound against the Astros last Friday. While his command was always one of the areas of weakness during his ascent through the Cubs' farm system, it's been under control during his brief time at the Major League level. Still, as Peña painfully found out, Horton needs some work when pitching to the inside of the strike zone.
Despite a hit-by-pitch being what injured Peña, there were no fireworks between the Cubs and Astros for the remainder of the season. Likely because the Astros got the best of Horton on Friday night. It was the worst start of Horton's young career, as the Astros tagged him for 7 runs on 8 hits in less than 5 innings of work. Beyond the pitch to Peña, command was an issue for Horton as a whole on Friday, with Astros' hitters managing 4 walks against the rookie.
Short of winning the series, any potential revenge from the Astros on the Cubs will need to wait until the 2026 season, as the two teams don't play each other for the remainder of the 2025 season. As it stands, the series between the two teams next year will be at Wrigley Field.