CHICAGO -- The final pitch that Cubs rookie Cade Horton unleashed on Wednesday night veered up and away, eluding the bat of Atlanta’s Ha-Seong Kim. As the Wrigley Field faithful roared, Horton headed off the field with little reaction, displaying steadiness in demeanor equal to his recent run on the mound.

Horton worked five no-hit innings in the latest in a growing pile of excellent performances, but the Cubs’ bullpen was unable to finish what he started in a 5-1 loss to the Braves. The rookie pitcher has been working under pitch restrictions for the past few weeks, and manager Craig Counsell stuck to the program rather than give in to historic temptation.

With Horton’s pitch count at 75 pitches through five innings -- the righty had exceeded that total just once since the start of

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