There’s a reason you don’t often see pitchers give up five home runs in a game, like the Cubs’ Jameson Taillon did Saturday night at Rate Field.
Usually, they have been sent to the sanctuary of the clubhouse well before that level of carnage has been inflicted. Tough on a pitcher’s ego, and not very helpful to a team’s chances of winning that night.
Besides Taillon, only one other pitcher this season, Bryan Bello of the Red Sox, had been taken deep five times in a game. Only six Cubs pitchers this century have allowed five or more in a start. The last was Matt Swarmer, who somehow surrendered six solo home runs to the Yankees four years ago at Yankee Stadium.
The White Sox’ barrage Saturday left Taillon in the uncomfortable position of leading the majors in home runs surrendered at 20. That’s in just nine starts spanning only 50⅔ innings, which is not a sustainable rate, especially for a pitcher on a contending team.
That is not lost on Taillon. He gives up home runs — 20 or more in each of the last seven seasons, including this one. But this is something altogether different. The talk shows and Twitterverse were having a field day at Taillon’s expense.
“It’s an interesting thing,’’ the 10-year veteran said, “because on the one hand, what I’m doing has worked in the past, and I just had a string of really good starts. So it’s not like I’ve got to rewrite the book or change everything.
“But home runs are a problem. I just need to find a way to limit those. Taking a bird’s-eye view, is it predictability? I throw six pitches, but to righties I really throw three and to lefties I throw three. So do I just open up the pitch selection and throw everything to everyone all over the place all the time?
“I mean, I can do it, but we’re just gonna take a look at everything. Throw more fastballs in to lefties, throw more fastballs up, just make them more aware of different areas of the zone because right now I’m not getting away with anything.’’
Watch any big-league game, Taillon said, and so-called “mistake” pitches don’t all wind up in the seats.
“They get fouled off or popped up,’’ he said, “but, man, at the end of the day, homers are thrown, not hit.
“It’s not like I’m out there throwing every pitch down the middle, but unfortunately, with my release and my stuff and how I go about it, I am prone to giving up homers.
“I just think for me it’s like not to be scared of throwing in the zone, but let’s move their eyes around, let’s throw fastballs in, let’s make them think about the cutter, slider, curve. Let’s make them think about everything.’’
Assad to get stretched out
The Cubs sent right-hander Javier Assad to Triple-A Iowa with the intention of stretching him out as a starter, manager Craig Counsell said Sunday. They also selected the contract of left-landed reliever Ty Blach and moved reliever Hunter Harvey to the 60-day injured list to create a roster spot. Blach’s promotion was likely a one-day thing. Caleb Thielbar was at Rate Field and is expected to be activated as soon as Monday for the game against the Brewers.
Brewers’ ‘The Miz’ on tap
The Cubs are scheduled to face Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski on Tuesday. The right-hander averages 99.6 mph on his fastball and threw 10 fastballs 103 mph or faster against the Yankees earlier this month, topping out at 103.6 mph.
