SAN DIEGO — Jameson Taillon spent part of Wednesday morning giving an impromptu concert with guitars stashed in the visitors’ clubhouse at Petco Park.
Given how well he pitched, setting down the first 14 batters in order, surviving two solo homers, and then allowing just one more hit in seven innings of the Cubs’ 5-4 victory over the Padres, should we expect an encore from the music man?
“No, there’s no guitars anywhere else other than here,’’ Taillon said. “So we’re safe.
“They’re Taylor guitars, really, really nice, actually. I mean, I haven’t played in like 10 years, but I used to play a bunch, and I know about 4½ songs.’’
His signature tune?
“3AM by Matchbox Twenty,’’ he said.
Fourteen up, fourteen down is generally too early to be thinking about 27 up, 27 down. Taillon was aware that no one had reached base. “More than anything, I was aware I had good stuff today and good command, good pitch mix,’’ he said.
The Cubs and Padres played each other in a NL wild-card series last October, the Cubs taking two out of three, with all three games played in Wrigley because the Cubs finished with a better regular season record. Taking two out of three in Petco, and finishing 3-3 in this six-game trip against the best in the West, the Dodgers and Padres, even if it’s April, made for a satisfying flight home.
Ben Brown assured the Cubs of a happy landing by inheriting a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the eighth and allowing just one run, on a sacrifice fly by Fernando Tatis Jr. Brown subsequently induced a double-play ground ball from Manny Machado, stand-in second baseman Matt Shaw turning two to end the inning.
Home runs by Shaw, who fell a triple short of the cycle (bunt single in the fourth, double in the sixth), and Pete Crow-Armstrong, his second in two games, proved decisive.
“I mean, he impacts the game no matter what,’’ Taillon said. “Even if the bat’s not there, he’s making a difference running the bases and playing defense with the energy he brings, but when the bat’s going, it’s a game changer. He can electrify an offense.’’
Former Cubs pitcher and broadcaster Rick Sutcliffe said he spoke with injured pitcher Justin Steele [strained flexor] by phone Wednesday. “We talked a little, cried a little,’’ Sutcliffe said. “He had an injection. They’ll have to wait three or four weeks for the inflammation to go down. Things were going so well. I just told him this team is built for October. Get back here by September 1 and get after it.’’
Padres pitchers threw at least five pitches that were dangerously wild the last two games. Shaw was knocked down Tuesday and had a pitch go behind him Wednesday, Seiya Suzuki was knocked down Tuesday, and Nico Hoerner was hit by a pitch in the brim of his helmet. “I’ve never seen so many balls high and tight in a series, right?” Shaw said. “I mean, there’s certain times maybe guys are doing it on purpose, but it was never like that here today. You just got to get back up and play the game.’’
