BOX SCORE

In the Cubs’ 4-1 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, it was the Cade Horton & Matt Shaw Show as Chicago turned a must-win game into a surefire victory.

The Cubs (68-51) snapped a three-game skid to keep their longest losing streak there, but it was a day that was then rendered bittersweet after Miguel Amaya was carted off the field with a left ankle sprain in his first game back since May 24.

Here are three things we learned:

Hard to watch

Amaya made his long-awaited return to the Cubs’ lineup on Wednesday after spending nearly three months out with an oblique injury he suffered against the Cincinnati Reds.

Amaya was cruising in his first day back, calling the shots with Horton as the latter added another gem to his rookie resume.

But everything came crashing down for Amaya and the Cubs in the eighth inning when he appeared to suffer a leg injury that left him in tears as he was carted off the field.

The 26-year-old catcher beat out a grounder for an infield single when he launched himself into the air as his left leg impacted the base.

Amaya was an impact player on both sides of the ball thus far this season, slashing .281/.314/.500 with four home runs and 25 RBI in addition to his commanding performances behind the plate.

The biggest Horton in town 

When Canadians hear the name ‘Horton,’ they’ll likely think of Tim Hortons — their beloved fast-food breakfast chain co-founded by its late Hockey Hall of Fame namesake. 

But on Wednesday, it was Cade Horton who formally introduced himself to the Toronto faithful. 

He entered his start riding an unprecedented scoreless streak of 23.1 innings — the longest by a Cubs rookie, ever. That meant his last four starts were scoreless, and he lowered his ERA all the way from 4.04 to 3.18 in that span. 

Naturally, Horton showed no signs of ending that impressive stretch. Through three innings on Wednesday, he was perfect: no hits, no walks, no errors, no runs. He had five strikeouts to boot. 

Things got a little testy with one gone in the fourth when Horton gave up a four-pitch walk to Bo Bichette, bringing Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the plate. Desperate to find the zone after seven straight misses, Horton served up a fastball in the zone to Guerrero Jr — and for a second, it looked like he made him pay, big time. 

The ball flew off Guerrero Jr.’s bat at 101.3 mph, but it somehow hung up right at the wall in left for Ian Happ to make the catch for the second out. 

The very next batter felt Horton’s wrath when he notched his sixth strikeout of the game to end the inning and extend his scoreless streak to 27.1 innings. 

He kept going after that: his seventh strikeout marked a career-high, and he got his eighth in the fifth inning as well. 

Horton bowed out of the game after 5.2 innings, with manager Craig Counsell not eager to give Guerrero Jr. a third look at the rookie. 

Unfortunately for Horton, who was responsible for runners on first and second when reliever Andrew Kittredge came in, that streak was snapped after 28.1 innings with a two-out, two-strike double from Guerrero Jr. 

That brought Horton’s final line to one earned run on one hit with eight punch outs and two walks. His ERA stands at 3.07 after 15 starts.

Shaw can’t stop

Matt Shaw has unequivocally been the Cubs’ best hitter since the All-Star break. In a time when the rest of the offense has slumped, he’s the one doing the heavy lifting.

Entering Wednesday, Shaw’s numbers proved every bit of that: seven home runs, 15 RBI and a slash line of .323/.354/.758 (1.112 OPS) since the Midsummer Classic. 

Then, he hit another home run on Wednesday — a 358-foot rocket to left on a sinker below the zone for his 10th bomb of the year. And yes, you read that correctly: Shaw has hit eight of his 10 home runs this season in his last 21 games. 

It’s been quite the turnaround for the rookie third baseman, whose batting average dipped below .200 ahead of the Midsummer Classic.

His recent hot streak has raised his season slash line to .226/.298/.401 (.697 OPS) along with 15 stolen bases and 26 extra-base hits.

Thursday afternoon’s rubber match finale will feature a potential pitchers’ duel between Cubs All-Star Matthew Boyd (11-5, 2.45 ERA) and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer (2-2, 4.21 ERA). 

Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. CT ahead of a 2:07 p.m. CT first pitch on Marquee Sports Network.