Jameson Taillon allowed two home runs in his latest start at PNC Park, conceding four runs to the Pirates in five innings. Still, the 34-year-old right-hander pointed to what he says is improving pitch shape, a slight velocity uptick, and better options in his
PITTSBURGH — The damage showed up in two different parts of the strike zone, and both came with the same sting.
Jameson Taillon gave up a three-run home run by Brandon Lowe that wiped out an early 3-0 Cubs advantage. Later, he allowed a solo shot by rookie Konnor Griffin that erased a 4-3 Cubs lead. After that. the narrative was set: those two homers. and what they mean for a pitcher who knows the numbers have turned against him.
Taillon is 34 and is carrying a difficult season. He understands he has allowed a major-league-leading 19 home runs, four more than Zack Littell of the Nationals. After allowing four runs to the Pirates in five innings on Wednesday night at PNC Park. he also knows where his overall production sits—his ERA is 5.37 in 11 starts.
He’s heard the grumbling back home. And he isn’t pretending otherwise. He says the key is that he has to keep the ball in the yard. But while others might frame the moment as only a steep decline, Taillon said he’s trying to look at what he’s building underneath it.
He sees a better shape to his pitches. a slight uptick in velocity. and more room to mix up his repertoire so he isn’t as predictable. “It’s just, unfortunately, my time to go through it right now, but I feel great,” he said. “I’m really encouraged by what I’m doing and the work I’m doing. But I’ll keep saying it: I’m really excited about the long term, really upset about the short term.”.
For the Pirates, the evening offered their own reminders of how quickly it can turn.
Spencer Horwitz—Pirates first baseman—smiled when told that Pete Crow-Armstrong said he might have won Horwitz the Gold Glove by hitting three rockets that Horwitz turned into outs on Monday night. Horwitz snagged two line drives and a one-hop smash, all with exit velocities of 100-plus mph.
Horwitz said the line drives were hit pretty much right at him. “A little jump, that was it,” he said. “The third one, the grounder, a one-hopper, that was a top-spinner that went to my left. I’ve been working really hard on my first-step quickness, a drop step. We’re going to get it in, and I think it showed there.”.
When asked about whether he thinks he’ll win any Gold Gloves, Horwitz didn’t sound like he was planning that far ahead. Did he have a message to impart to PCA? He smiled again. “Maybe try bunting,” he said.
In the middle of all the on-field talk, the broadcast carried a different milestone.
For Pat Hughes—his 31st season calling Cubs games on the radio—Wednesday was his 71st birthday. Hughes. who began his broadcasting career as a 22-year-old calling minor-league baseball in San Jose in 1978. shared a story from his days broadcasting Marquette basketball with Marquette’s motorcycle-riding legendary coach. Al McGuire.
“We had a game in Charlotte one night, and that day, as I was preparing, my wife called,” Hughes recalled.
“‘Pat, I just got a strange call from Al McGuire. He said, ‘Hi, honey, it’s Al. Is Pat there?’ I said, ‘No, he’s in Charlotte.’
“He says, ‘Oh, that’s where I’m supposed to be! Thanks.’
“Al shows up at around 5:30. Tipoff is 7. He looks like he hasn’t shaved in a week. He’s wearing a sweatsuit and carrying his suit over his shoulder. I said, ‘We’re taping the pregame show in about 10 minutes.’ He said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be there.’
“So he disappears into the UNC-Charlotte locker room, grabs a student assistant who is thrilled to be talking to the great Al McGuire, and while Al is changing, he gives him a rundown on the whole team.
“We begin the taping and I say, ‘Al, this Charlotte team is going to pose a real challenge.’ And he says, ‘Oh, Charlotte, here are their best shooters, the guys who play the best defense, the guys you don’t want to foul late’ as if he’d been preparing all day.”
McGuire was one of a kind.
Back on the field. the Cubs leaned on the kind of burst that turns a messy afternoon into something more manageable. Ian Happ broke a tie with a three-run home run. only the third three-run homer hit by the Cubs this month. Pinch hitter Michael Conforto followed two batters later with a two-run home run—two decisive blows in a six-run seventh that carried the Cubs to a 10-4 victory.
The game may have ended with the Cubs ahead, but for Taillon, the ending didn’t erase the hard part. He walked away with two home runs against him. the season-high noise around his home run total. and an ERA now at 5.37 after 11 starts—while insisting the short-term worry shouldn’t drown out what he believes is improving under the surface.
Jameson Taillon Brandon Lowe Konnor Griffin Spencer Horwitz Pat Hughes Cubs Pirates PNC Park Ian Happ Michael Conforto