Taillon's resurgence continues, Cubs win eighth straight, as they top Cardinals 5-1
On a good day to reflect on Mike Tauchman's game-saving, home run-robbing catch in Friday's win, there was nearly an instant replay.
In the fourth inning of Saturday's rain-delayed contest in St. Louis, Cubs catcher Yan Gomes sent a deep drive to center field. Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson delivered a nice vertical leap and got his glove on the ball, but it slipped past him for a home run to center, roughly 15 feet from Tauchman's catch.
Gomes and Ian Happ each hit 2-run homers and the Cubs stretched their win streak to eight with a 5-1 victory. Now 53-51, the Cubs are within 3 in the loss column of first place in the NL Central and all three wild-card spots.
This was Happ's seventh career home run off Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright in 37 at-bats. Happ took Wainwright deep twice in London.
One fact making the rounds Saturday was Tauchman, a product of Fremd High School and Bradley University, is the only player in the last 30 years to rob a potential game-winning home run twice. He also did it to Albert Pujols at Dodger Stadium while playing for the Giants on May 28, 2021.
"Probably the most dramatic single play I've been a part of in the big leagues," teammate Nico Hoerner said of Tauchman's catch. "Obviously, pretty big implications, so pretty amazing moment."
Tauchman had 3 hits in Saturday's game and drove in the Cubs' fifth run with an RBI double into the right-field corner. The hit scored Nick Madrigal, who returned from a rehab assignment while Miles Mastrobuoni was sent to Triple A Iowa.
Tauchman has been an important addition since making his Cubs debut on May 19. But no one has saved the Cubs season quite like pitcher Jameson Taillon.
A free-agent addition last winter, Taillon got off to a miserable start, with a sky-high ERA of 8.10 on May 20. But he flipped a switch somehow when returning to pitch against his former team, the New York Yankees, on July 7.
Including Saturday, Taillon has posted a 1.78 ERA in his last four starts, all Cubs victories. The right-hander allowed just 2 hits over 6 innings in this game.
"We worked on a lot of different things when I was struggling, so it's not one thing I can really pinpoint," Taillon said. "I'd say it's pitching to the strengths, understanding what my stuff is every time I'm out there and what I can lean on that day.
"Also I feel like, once I had one good start, that's what I needed to remember that feeling. Just know I'm going about it the right way and this is the stuff I need to be working on. Just remember that feeling and carry it forward."
The bullpen hit a rough spot in the eighth inning when Mark Leiter Jr. loaded the bases on a single, walk and hit batter. With two outs, Javier Assad came in with the bases loaded and tying run at the plate, coaxing an easy grounder to the pitcher from Jordan Walker to end the inning. Daniel Palencia pitched a perfect ninth.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the team is not trading third baseman Nolan Arenado, who would have to approve a trade anyway. There has been heavier speculation about the Cardinals trading some of their pitchers headed into free-agency - starters Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery, along with reliever Jordan Hicks.
At this point, it probably goes without saying the Cubs won't be moving pieces before Tuesday's trade deadline, unless it's trying to add major-league talent for the stretch run.
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