Stuck in late jam, Taillon says 'Let's dance'
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CHICAGO -- With Jameson Taillon and Jon Lester locked in a pitchers' duel all afternoon Sunday, the Cubs finally broke through in the seventh. They capitalized when Jordy Mercer bobbled a potential double-play ball, and pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella made the Pirates pay with an RBI double.
Determined to make the best of a bad situation, Taillon recorded one out then walked Kyle Schwarber to load the bases. Coming to the plate: reigning National League MVP Kris Bryant. Looming on deck: the man who finished fourth in last year's NL MVP voting, Anthony Rizzo.
"That was a fun inning. It got really loud," Taillon said. "I was kind of like, 'All right. Let's dance.'"
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The 25-year-old has repeatedly displayed the poise of a more veteran pitcher, and he did it again in the seventh, defusing the jam and watching the Pirates come back to win, 6-1, at Wrigley Field. Taillon threw seven scoreless innings without allowing an earned run, striking out six and lowering his ERA to 0.90 after three starts.
"Just a fantastic effort," manager Clint Hurdle said.
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Taillon had made good pitches to Schwarber, and at least two in the strike zone were called balls. But he did not lose his composure. Twenty-one starts into his career, that level-headedness has emerged as one of Taillon's strengths. He pitches with emotion, as the Pirates like to say, but he does not pitch emotionally.
His second pitch to Bryant -- a 96.9-mph fastball -- resulted in a ground ball. Third baseman Josh Harrison fielded it quickly and fired to Francisco Cervelli for the force out at home. Two down, bases still loaded.
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Rizzo worked a full count, and Taillon spun him a curveball. It wasn't his best curve of the day, but Rizzo popped it up to Mercer for the final out. The Pirates responded with an eighth-inning rally, giving Taillon his first win of the season.
"We knew he'd get in there, get the ball on the ground and we've got a chance," Mercer said. "It brought the momentum back on our side, and it carried over."
Afterward, Taillon described the inning as "fun." Nerve-racking for most, maybe, and certainly important. But fun?
"It was fun because I was making good pitches. In the moment, I was able to do what I wanted to do," he said. "It was fun putting my best on their best."