OSS: Where’s this Jameson Taillon guy been all season?
Three up:
- Jameson Taillon threw eight innings on one hit ball against his former team, walking two and striking out four. Taillon has been a cipher all year, mixing in great pitches with meatballs with no discernible pattern. It’s too early to tell if he is breaking the trend of ree agent pitcher signings that can’t get it together for the ~18 months following signing with the Cubs. Small sample size may apply, YMMV, etc. etc.
- Cody Bellinger had a big day, going 2-3 with a walk and a homer, and scoring two of the Cubs three runs. He was easily the offense’s WPA leader on the day.
- Patrick Wisdom of all people contributed to multiple big plays on offense today. He quietly returned from his bout of David Patton Disease on Independence Day, and could get back into the mix if he has another hot streak.
Three down:
- Seiya got reverse-squeezed by the home plate ump in this one as his bizarre slump continues. At least he did manage to get *a* hit today.
- Wisdom was involved in the action in many ways, including pulling off the Ryan Theriot special by getting thrown out at third base on a grounder to short while trying to advance from second base. Always nice to get a reminder of the trope namer.
- To get all Jerry Seinfeld for a second, what’s the deal with all the ex-Cubs on the Yankees roster (dying laughing). Rizzo and Gleyber, sure, but it’s been weird seeing all sorts of ex-Cubs minor league randos pop up on major league rosters like Billy McKinney or DJ LeMaiheu*. Guys like Jay Jackson, Paul Blackburn, and Dylan Floro are appearing around the league.
*Despite winning an MVP award, Josh Donaldson will always be just some rando in my heart of hearts, a throw-in as part of the Rich Harden trade that would never amount to much.
Next up:
Drew Smyly takes on Gerrit Cole at 12:05 CT, in what might be a slightly tougher matchup for this Cubs offense.
