Rookie Matt Shaw's walk-off sacrifice fly lifts Cubs over Guardians

Cubs rookie Matt Shaw was standing by the third-base line, illuminated by the TV camera’s light, spitting out water from the cooler his teammates had just dumped on him.

He had delivered the walk-off RBI in the 10th inning of the Cubs’ 1-0 victory Thursday against the Guardians that completed a three-game sweep.

“I was just so fired up for him,” said Nico Hoerner, who scored the winning run on Shaw’s sacrifice fly. “He’s had a string of hard-hit balls this series that weren’t landing, a couple of great plays in the field against him. And his temperament and everything through this kind of crazy season for him has been so impressive. But we all want results and to produce and help the team win. And he more than did that tonight.”

Shaw’s deep line drive to Guardians center fielder Lane Thomas didn’t fall, either, but it didn’t need to. Hoerner, the automatic extra-innings runner, had made his way to third on a groundout.

Shaw laid off closer Emmanuel Clase’s first-pitch slider — “which was really well done,” manager Craig Counsell said. And then he jumped on a cutter.

“The bottom line is you’ve got to be on time,” Shaw said. “So that’s what we’re talking about in the dugout, and that’s what we tried to execute.”

It was the second walk-off of Shaw’s career (the other was May 27 against the Rockies).

“Great win for us tonight in a really close game,” Shaw said, “and just a really exciting moment for me.”

Horton bounces back

Rookie Cade Horton pitched a career-high seven innings and held the Guardians scoreless. His only other scoreless start lasted 5⅔ innings against the Pirates.

He limited the Guardians to five hits, all singles. And only one runner got into scoring position.

The fact that Horton was coming out of his worst career start made the bounce-back that much more impressive.

Horton had described his last start, in which he allowed seven runs against the Astros in a playoff-like atmosphere at Daikin Park, as “the first time [he] felt like [he] wasn’t able to slow the game down” in his young major-league career.

“There was some delivery stuff, just working more north/south as opposed to east and west,” Horton said of his adjustments between starts. “But I think the biggest thing was the mental side of the game and just slowing the game down and being in control and living pitch to pitch.”

Change of plans

The Cubs expected to face Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz in the series finale, but he was put on non-disciplinary leave because of a gambling investigation by MLB, according to the Associated Press.

Instead, the Cubs went up against left-hander Joey Cantillo, who began the season as a reliever and was building up in the minors when the Guardians recalled him to start.

When asked if the late switch had caused the Cubs any consternation, manager Craig Counsell said: “It probably caused them a little more.”

Cantillo held the Cubs to two hits in 3⅓ innings. But his night was done after 68 pitches, a season high for him in the majors and Triple-A.