ARLINGTON, Texas — One glance at who was pitching for the Rangers on Sunday, and you had a feeling that the only way the Cubs were going to touch home plate was if they joined the Mother’s Day swarm of kids running the bases after their 3-0 loss to the Rangers.
Rangers right-hander Jacob DeGrom, who turns 38 in five weeks, has pitched 13 seasons in the big leagues and made 256 starts, yet somehow he has yet to win 100 games. His win Sunday left him at 99. That would seem to leave him manifestly unqualified for the Hall of Fame, where the traditional target number is 300 W’s.
But then you watch the man at work, tricking right-handed hitters with his diving slider, overpowering left-handed hitters with a 98-mph fastball at the top of the zone and projecting an aura of greatness for all seven innings he occupied the mound, and you recognize that his Hall case is hardly an open-and-shut affair.
Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, who came within the length of Josh Jung’s toe from matching DeGrom zero for zero, knows how he would vote. He referred to DeGrom as a future Hall of Famer multiple times in his postgame comments.
“I think he’s got it,’’ Taillon said. “I was looking up his numbers after the game today, and I think he got his 1,900th strikeout today, in like [1,578] innings, which is mind-boggling.
“I mean, I’m a fan of his. I’ve heard he’s a great dude and teammate, so just one of those guys that it’s kind of amazing what he can do, and also a two-time TJ [Tommy John surgery] guy, so I follow guys like that a little closer.’’
Taillon also has undergone the procedure twice, which robbed him of three full seasons (2014, 2015, and 2020).
Taillon did not dominate the Rangers, but he did a nice job of sparring with them, helped by two terrific double plays, one turned in the first inning by third baseman Matt Shaw, subbing for Alex Bregman, on Jung’s roller.
“I thought Matt Shaw did a really nice job, like he hasn’t been playing a ton,’’ Taillon said. “It’s kind of like a softly hit ground ball and he had a ton of urgency behind going and getting that ball and understanding that a double play there is a big deal.’’
Shaw started another double play in the fourth, with Nico Hoerner making a terrific turn, moments after Jung who had singled and taken third on a base hit by Joc Pederson, scored just ahead of first baseman Michael Busch’s throw to the plate on Alejandro Osuna’s grounder. Plate umpire Adam Hamari ruled that Jung’s slide just beat the tag of catcher Carson Kelly. The Cubs asked for a review, and lost.
“That was a ‘call stands,’ not a ‘call confirmed,’’’ Taillon said. “It was one of those. They didn’t have enough evidence to overturn.’’
Daniel Palencia gave up a two-run home run to Evan Carter in the eighth for the final margin.
“I was trying to throw a slider to his back foot,’’ Palencia said. “Made a mistake. That’s what happened….That’s baseball. He beat me this time. Go back out tomorrow.’’
Well, no. The Cubs have a day off in Atlanta, their first break since April 17, after failing to score in their last 20 innings here.
“It’s a needed day off for sure, for everybody,’’ Counsell said. “So we’ll take advantage of it and get ready for Atlanta.’’
