After six runs in loss to Cubs, Taillon could be in line for a break

Clint Hurdle expects Jameson Taillon to take at least a few moments this offseason to sit and reflect on another difficult year in his professional career.

However, that time to reflect might come sooner rather than later after Taillon labored through 4 2/3 innings in the Pirates’ 8-2 loss to the Cubs in front of an announced crowd of 19,201 Thursday night at PNC Park.

Taillon allowed six runs on 11 hits and with his history of injuries, as well as his battle with testicular cancer this season, Hurdle told reporters prior to the game he’d like to possibly give Taillon time to “reset” with 21 games to play.

“He’s one guy that I think is going to sleep real well this winter,” Hurdle said. “He’s poured everything he’s got into this thing, personally and professionally. There’s going to be a day where I think it’s going to be good to sit down in a chair and go,’ Whoa, what did I just go through?’ ”



Afterward, Hurdle would not indicate whether or not this latest performance has him leaning towards possibly skipping Taillon's next start, but there several reasons why he'd like to give Taillon a break with the Pirates now 67-74. He has been inconsistent since the All-Star break, often having two strong starts followed by two poor ones. Since going 5-2 with a 2.73 ERA in 11 starts before the break, Taillon is 2-4 with a 7.17 ERA in 54 innings after the break.

Before that, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft missed the 2014 season because of Tommy John surgery and all of 2015 with a sports hernia. He made 18 starts with the Pirates last season, throwing 104 innings.

Taillon has now thrown 116 2/3 innings this season, which is the most he's pitched since 2013, when he finished with 147 between AA and AAA. Following his start Thursday night, Taillon expressed his desire to "finish strong" during the final month of his second major league season, but his recent struggles, as well as the presence of Steven Brault, would allow Hurdle to at least skip one of his remaining starts.

This latest loss showed that might be necessary.

Each of the four lead-off hits he allowed led to a run. Yet, Taillon said he felt better against the Cubs than he did last Saturday against the Reds, when he threw six scoreless innings. The difference, though, was missing pitches inside the zone.

"It was a weird night," his catcher, Elias Diaz, told DKPittsburghSports.com. "It's not like he was tired or anything. He competed all night. Aggressive, threw strikes. Too many strikes, though."

The Cubs took advantage quickly with a run in the first when Anthony Rizzo hit a sacrifice fly to right, allowing Ian Happ to score. Javier Baez led off the second with a double when he lifted a low and inside curveball down the left-field line. Two batters later, Rene Rivera bunted a slow roller down the first-base line to allow Baez to score and Taillon struggled to make the play, slowly walking back to the mound after throwing to first:



Athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk and Hurdle quickly left the dugout to check on Taillon, though the awkward play did not result in an injury. But Taillon didn’t look comfortable for the remainder of his start, allowing one run in both the third and fourth innings, including this RBI double by Jon Lester in the fourth:



That was a first-pitch four-seam fastball over the middle of the plate and Taillon made a similar mistake in the fifth, when Jason Heyward hit this RBI double to give the Cubs a 6-1 lead:



Taillon was pulled after that pitch, only his 78th of the game. It was only the second time this season he did not throw at least 80 pitches in a start.

"At this level, it could be something that’s five inches away from where I wanted to throw it and that makes all the difference in the world," Taillon said. "Five inches can be the difference between the barrel and and the handle of the bat, too. Those misses in the zone aren’t what I’m looking for."

That's been the issue when he's allowed at least four runs in his last two starts, yet Taillon can't quite find the reasoning behind the lack of execution. He's not looking to make excuses, either.

When asked of how he feels mentally at this point in the season, Taillon avoided all talk of his battle with testicular cancer, which put him on the disabled list for five weeks after he underwent surgery on May 8. He also didn't seem to want any time off, though he said he's more than willing to listen to Hurdle and the front office if they think it's in his best interest: