Starter Jameson Taillon hadn’t felt this nervousness in a while. The veteran right-hander had a hard time eating in anticipation of his season debut.
But Taillon’s uneasiness didn’t show on the mound as he pitched five innings, allowing one run and no walks in the Cubs’ 8-3 win against the Marlins at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs offense welcomed Taillon back by providing him with sufficient run support, but Taillon’s return can be the stabilizing force in the starting rotation that the team needs.
“He just he was just a true pro,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said of Taillon’s outing. “He was able to command the strike zone with multiple pitches, really keep them off balance and keep the defense engaged.”
Cubs starters have thrown the second-fewest innings in baseball (82.1) and the seventh-most bullpen innings (78.1) entering Friday’s games.
Taillon was aggressive in the zone on Friday, particularly with his fastball. The lone run he allowed was a home run that wouldn’t have been a home run in 29 other ballparks. Getting ahead in the count allowed Taillon to use his entire pitching arsenal.
“Sometimes I try to get a little too fine early in counts, especially against more aggressive teams,” Taillon said. “It’s like, screw that, hitting is hard, challenge them early, get good counts and put myself in a good position, especially when I have a lead.”
Taillon has started 29 or more games four times in his career. He has the reputation of being a workhorse. He said the back injury isn’t a problem anymore, describing it as “pretty acute.”
Friday was manager Craig Counsell’s first time seeing Taillon pitch in a Cubs uniform and said the right-hander was locked in on the mound.
Taillon finished the first half of the season in 2023 with a 6.15 ERA. He worked with pitching coach Tommy Hottovy to return to form, posting a 3.70 ERA in the second half. Friday’s strong performance serves as confirmation, Taillon said, that the two have found a formula for Taillon to perform as his best self.
Taillon — who didn’t pitch five innings in his rehab starts — won’t always have scoreless outings, but showing that he’s capable of going deep into games is important for the Cubs. The Cubs will need the veteran to go deep into games to preserve a bullpen that has carried a heavy workload.
“I would have put myself in a position to go even deeper, which, you know, would be great,” Taillon said of going five innings. “But yeah, doubleheader tomorrow; I was definitely aware of trying to go until Counsell told me I was done.”
Right-hander pitcher Keegan Thompson pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts in relief. Right-hander Colten Brewer also pitched two innings, allowing two runs (one earned).
Veteran starter Kyle Hendricks has struggled to find his footing this season, but pitchers Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad and Ben Brown have all shown positive signs.
Teams are always trying to look for more pitching over a 162-game season. Counsell said he’s looking for enough pitchers to “complete the 27 outs every day.”
But having a starter with Taillon’s track record of success will help ease the burden on the bullpen.
“It was just a lot of fun watching Jamo today in particular,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “That was impressive how much him and [catcher Miguel] Amaya were on the same page in the first outing of the year. He’s going to be huge for us, and he’s huge for our team morale and locker room in general.”