HOUSTON — Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon’s pitch count already was climbing after facing one batter.
In the Cubs’ 2-0 loss Sunday, Astros leadoff hitter Isaac Paredes battled for 12 pitches, managing a bloop single into shallow right field after eight foul balls.
“Made some big pitches the rest of that inning,” manager Craig Counsell said. “And then I thought he got it going really good, actually.”
Taillon kept the Astros scoreless until his 107th pitch, a season high.
He was one out away from getting out of the fifth inning with a runner on first base. Then Jose Altuve drove a cutter into the Crawford Boxes for a two-run blast. That spelled the end of Taillon’s start.
Though Paredes didn’t have the big hit, he did the heavy lifting in driving up Taillon’s pitch count. Paredes, the third baseman the Cubs included in the deal for three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker,, saw 31 pitches in three at-bats against Taillon.
“He did a really good job,” Taillon said. “I don’t know how much of that was planned or just how it happened. But he’s a tough AB; he doesn’t strike out much. I knew that going in.”
The Cubs’ bullpen kept the Astros at bay the rest of the way, but the offense was shut out for the fifth time this season.
All-Star finalists
Phase 2 of All-Star fan voting begins Monday at 11 a.m., with the finalists in each position group vying to be selected to start the All-Star Game.
Three Cubs will appear on the ballot: outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong and Tucker and catcher Carson Kelly.
Crow-Armstrong led all National League outfielders in Phase 1 with 3,021,265 votes.
Tucker dropped to fourth in the position group (1,794,776 votes)after surging to the No. 2 spot at the first balloting update. The Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez (2,343,058) and the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. (1,888,867) jumped him in the race.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith (3,428,856) is the favorite to claim the starting nod over Kelly (1,183,100). But Kelly still has a potential path to the All-Star Game via the player ballot.
Pitchers and reserves are chosen via player ballot and commissioner’s-office selections, so even non-finalists still could make the All-Star Game.
Memory lane
Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler was with the Astros’ organization for five years before the Cubs hired him in 2024. He was on the major-league coaching staff during Houston’s 2022 World Series run and was promoted to assistant hitting coach the next year.
So the tribute video for Tucker and Ryan Presslyy, which heavily featured the last out of the 2022 World Series, carried a little extra weight for Kanzler.
“Houston did a really nice job with that video,” Kanzler said Sunday. “Brought back a lot of memories, very positive memories. I got goose bumps. I would love to experience that same feeling and more with the Cubs. And I think we’re all working really hard to do that.”
Shaw gets rest
Third baseman Matt Shaw was out of the lineup. He was scheduled for a rest day, according to the team. That gave veteran utility man Jon Berti a chance to start for the first time in two weeks.