RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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PITTSBURGH – Things have gone from bad to worse for Jameson Taillon .
The Cubs ’ veteran righty hasn’t figured out how to keep the ball in the yard this season, tagged for three more home runs Sunday, jacking his season total up to 25. He allowed seven runs in an 8-7 loss to the Pirates.
“We need better than that,” manager Craig Counsell said.
The Cubs are 1-7 in the last eight games Taillon has started.
It’s reached the point where team brass has to figure out whether he’ll make his next start.
“I think we’ve got to discuss it,” Counsell said. “We’ve got days to figure that out. But we’ve got to discuss what’s best for the staff, in general.”
The stakes are high. The Cubs can’t afford to keep sending Taillon to the mound in the state he’s in, not in the thick of a playoff race and seven games behind the division-leading Brewers.
Though Taillon was big for the Cubs last postseason, the type of pitcher he’s been lately – he’s got an 8.90 ERA in his last seven starts – is not the type of pitcher you can trot out in a playoff game.
He knows it.
“It hasn’t been very good, and the results speak for themselves,” he said. “I’m confident I can figure it out, but when you’re going out there and hurting the team, it’s obviously not a good place to be.
“I feel like the work’s good, and then I go out there and kind of revert back to what I’ve been doing. The work’s been good. … I’m just not seeing it pay off right now.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that I’m hurting the team and have been for a little while now. I’m not naive to that at all.”
Complicating things, the Cubs are still dogged by pitching injuries. Until recently, Taillon’s hamstring strain was one of them, sidelining him for a month and a half. They need innings.
But with the trade deadline just a week away, Jed Hoyer ’s front office will be pursuing pitching , needing to land an impact arm or two to prevent a repeat of last year, when depth issues contributed to the team’s postseason exit.
Taillon’s struggles have only emphasized that need. There’s a lot of season left for him to iron things out, but the way he’s pitching right now should have Hoyer looking for a potential replacement before time runs out on Aug. 3.
More starts for Assad?
Might right-hander Javier Assad return to the rotation after his last two appearances came in relief?
That would figure to be among the factors in the team’s decision-making while discussing what to do with Taillon.
Before Sunday’s game, Counsell said that while the team was planning a five-man rotation absent Assad during a stretch of 17 games in 17 days – utilizing Assad’s versatility to spell bullpen arms – there could be more starts in his future.
“Essentially, we’re keeping Javy – I don’t want to say ‘fresh’ – but he gets a little break [from starting] here,” Counsell said. “So if we need to count on him for a stretch, you feel really good having to do that. I would guess there’s going to be more starts for him.”
Optimism for injured pitchers
The Cubs are seeing progress in the injury recoveries of righty relievers and free-agent signees Hunter Harvey and Shelby Miller .
Harvey, should all go well, could go on a minor league rehab assignment as soon as early August, while Counsell said it’s possible Miller could pitch for the big league team before season’s end.
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