Pirates 8, Cubs 7: It’s time to take Jameson Taillon out of the rotation

Jameson Taillon was a solid if unspectacular member of the Cubs rotation the last two years.

This year, though, the long ball got him, and then a hamstring injury kept him out about six weeks. Since his return he’s made two starts and they’ve both been, well, terrible. Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh was yet another example of Taillon giving up way too many home runs, three of them, including a grand slam by Ryan O’Hearn.

The Cubs did make a pretty good comeback attempt, but it fell a run short in an 8-7 loss to the Pirates.

Let’s rewind to the beginning of this one.

No one scored in the first, and that wasn’t because Jamo was fooling anyone. Brandon Lowe — who’s just feasted on Cubs pitching all year — singled with one out.

Then this happened [VIDEO].

Lowe took off for third, apparently convinced that Bryan Reynolds’ ball was going to fall for a double. But Michael Conforto made a nice catch and, with Lowe standing on third, had an easy inning-ending double play. A note on the double play from BCB’s JohnW53:

The first-inning double play by Michael Conforto to Michael Busch was the Cubs’ first this season started by a right fielder making a catch. The previous one was started by Willi Castro at home against the Brewers on Aug. 19 of last year.

Their first this year started by a left fielder was by Ian Happ on Friday.

They have not had one this year started on a catch by a center fielder. They had three last year, in March and July by Pete Crow-Armstrong, then by Kevin Alcántara on Sept. 7 at home against the Nationals.

In the top of the second, Conforto drew a one-out walk and one out later went to second on a single by Pedro Ramirez. Dansby Swanson’s single scored Conforto to make it 1-0 Cubs [VIDEO].

Nice “swim move” slide there by Conforto, incidentally.

A note on Ramirez’s hit from John:

Pedro Ramirez’s second-inning single made today’s game the Cubs’ 4,788th in a row on the road with a hit, tying the Pirates’ National League record. The Cubs last were hitless on the road Sept. 9, 1965, when Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game against them at Dodger Stadium.

The Yankees hold the big league record of 5,366 and counting, since Sept. 20, 1958.

That lead did not last long. Esmerlyn Valdez took Taillon deep leading off the bottom of the second to tie the game. O’Hearn walked and one out later, Shawn Ross, playing in just his second MLB game, got his first MLB hit and home run, a two-run blast. I don’t usually show these for Cubs opponents but holy hell look how that ball was demolished [VIDEO].

So it’s 3-1 Cubs and Taillon got hit hard again in the third. With one out, Lowe singled, Reynolds doubled and Valdez walked to load the bases, and O’Hearn unloaded them with his slam. Now it’s 7-1 and that’s three home runs in three innings off Taillon in this game. To save a bit of bullpen work Craig Counsell had Taillon work the fourth, and the Pirates didn’t score.

So since Taillon’s return from the IL, that makes two starts, 8.1 innings pitched, 11 hits and four walks allowed (1.800 WHIP), 11 earned runs (11.88 ERA) and five home runs allowed. All told, Taillon has served up 25 home run balls this year in just 76 innings. Only Jeffrey Springs of the A’s has given up more homers and he’s thrown 26.2 more innings than Taillon. And, the Cubs have now lost seven of Taillon’s last eight starts — and the one they won, which was the last time they played in PNC Park, the game was tied when Taillon left after five innings and he’d given up two homers in that one. Over those eight starts: 7.82 ERA in 35.2 innings, 1.626 WHIP, 13 (!) home runs allowed.

This just can’t continue. Give Javier Assad that rotation spot until the Cubs can pull off a trade for a starting pitcher. Taillon’s next start would come up against the Yankees at Wrigley Field and do you want him facing Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the rest of the Yankees? I sure don’t, and I hope the Cubs brass doesn’t either.

That’s it for my TED Talk, now back to this game.

The Cubs did mount a decent comeback attempt and didn’t wait too long. In the top of the fourth, Nico Hoerner led off with a single and stopped at third on a double by Conforto.

Carson Kelly’s ground out scored Nico [VIDEO].

Conforto took third on that play and scored on a single by Ramirez [VIDEO].

Pete Crow-Armstrong followed with this RBI triple [VIDEO].

That was a productive inning and the Cubs trailed by only three, with five innings to go. They’ve made big comebacks in PNC Park before. Could they do it again?

Well, you know the answer to that, but they did make a good attempt. Ryan Rolison got touched up for a run in the fifth and that turned out to be a very important run indeed for the Pirates.

The Cubs couldn’t do anything in the sixth or seventh, but made it 8-5 in the eighth. Busch led off with a double and went to third on a single by Ian Happ. That continued Happ’s PNC Park record on-base streak, now at 44 games.

Nico singled in Busch to bring the Cubs back within three [VIDEO].

Aaron Civale threw two scoreless innings of relief, the sixth and seventh, and Trent Thornton made his first appearance since he was hit on the foot last Monday at Wrigley Field. He looked 100 percent to me and retired the Pirates scoreless in the eighth after a leadoff single.

That left the Cubs still down three as they entered the ninth to face Mason Montgomery, who throws 100 miles per hour. Swanson led off with a single and after PCA struck out, Seiya Suzuki launched his 18th home run of the year [VIDEO].

Well. Back to within one, and there’s only one out. Unfortunately, Busch grounded out and Happ struck out to end the game.

The Cubs actually did quite well in this game with RISP, going 5-for-11. They scored seven runs, which most times will win you the game. The Cubs are 33-4 this year when scoring at least seven runs, and three of the four losses were when scoring exactly seven (this is the other such loss). This one’s on Jamo, and no, I am not recommending a DFA. Maybe he’s not 100 percent from the hamstring, maybe there’s something else nagging at him. Get him back on the IL and, as I said above, let Assad make that next start (probably Friday). Or who knows, maybe the Cubs can make a deal for a starter before then.

In any case, winning series on the road is still good, and the Cubs will take it. The Brewers are well on their way to crushing the Rockies at the time of this recap posting, so the Cubs will drop back to seven games behind in the NL Central. The Phillies, who trailed the Cubs by 3.5 games for the top wild card spot beginning today’s action, will play the Yankees tonight in NBC’s featured Sunday Night Baseball game.

The Cubs move on to St. Louis, where they will open a four-game set against the Cardinals Monday. David Peterson will start for the Cubs. At this writing the Cardinals do not have a starter listed for Monday’s series opener, but presuming they stay on rotation, it should be Hunter Dobbins, who threw six scoreless innings against the Angels last Wednesday. Game time Monday is 6:45 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.