Jameson Taillon remembers coming to Wrigley Field as a starter on the small-market Pirates to play star-studded Cubs teams.
Those Cubs teams had the sluggers to turn close games into blowouts and the pitching to keep opposing offenses at bay. Coming to Wrigley was anything but friendly for the Pirates or most National League Central teams.
“We were the little guys coming in here, and they were playing bully ball against us a little bit,” said Taillon, who threw six scoreless innings with four strikeouts and two walks in the Cubs’ 3-1 win over the Nationals on Friday. “It was scary to come to Wrigley and play. You didn’t want to catch them on a day where they’re swinging it hot.
“Going forward, that should be our expectation. Teams shouldn’t want to come in here and play the Cubs.”
The Cubs (79-75) left the ballpark an insurmountable 9½ games behind the Brewers, who clinched the division this week. Despite trading away starter Corbin Burnes and losing starter Brandon Woodruff and outfielder Christian Yelich to injuries, they kept finding ways to win.
The ability to win moments within games is what separates the Cubs from the Brewers. Entering Friday, the Cubs had the fifth-most blown saves in the majors, while the Brewers had the sixth-fewest. The Cubs are also 22-28 in one-run games.
Taillon said he liked a quote from second baseman Nico Hoerner that referenced how the Cubs didn’t “win winning moments.”
“It’s like they [Brewers] seem to sometimes have the edge on those moments over us right now, and it’s on us to flip the script,” Taillon said. “It’s a team effort, it’s an organizational effort, but I’m happy [manager Craig Counsell is] on our side because I have full faith in him, in the front office and the coaches and us as players finding a way to identify that and get better.
“We do have an excellent group of guys, and this organization’s got a lot of very bright people. So I don’t expect this year to be the norm going forward.”
Strong pitching from Taillon — and the rest of the rotation — is one way for the team to make a playoff push next season.
Since joining the Cubs in 2023, Taillon has been consistent in his preparation and performance. He has the second-most wins (11) and innings pitched (158⅓) on the team with a 3.41 ERA.
His reliability and consistency should be lauded. Those qualities are valuable in an era where pitchers are throwing fewer innings.
“I thought it was great,” Mike Tauchman, who had a key pinch-hit, two-run single in the seventh, said of Taillon’s outing. “He’s been a really consistent force for us . . . being able to take the ball on every fifth day, pitching deep in the games, giving us a chance to win.”
Taillon’s only times with a team that won at least 90 games were with the 2021 and ’22 Yankees. Now that he’s part of another big-market organization, he wants to reestablish that standard with the Cubs.
“I know a lot of players on other teams love coming to Wrigley, and I don’t want that,” Taillon said. “I want people to see Wrigley on their schedule and be like, ‘Shoot, I don’t want a part of that.’ We’re the Chicago Cubs. We should strive to be a 90-win at least organization.”