I did secretly hope this series would be a little more “boring.” In one manner of looking at things, things were boring. The Rockies didn’t put up a ton of fight. More, they just hung around all day. Of course, that means that in the other way of looking at things, it wasn’t boring. Every pitch mattered, on some level, all of the way down to the last pitch.
For the second straight time, Jameson Taillon looked at a weaker opponent and a bullpen that’s carried a lot of weight in recent days. He pitched into the seventh and allowed one run on four hits. Four Cubs relievers held the Rockies to two walks and one hit to close it out. Five hits and two walks can result in a shutout. But, Taillon was perfect for four. So the seven baserunners were split over the last five innings. And actually, Daniel Palencia also threw a perfect ninth. So seven baserunners over four isn’t actually particularly scattered anymore. No question, the Cubs could have allowed more than a single run.
I saw this one, so I can say pretty confidently and comfortably that Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a baseball that metrics indicated would have been a homer in all 29 of the other parks. In fairness to Wrigley Field, the wind absolutely held that ball up. That would have reached the bleachers more days than not. If that ball had reached the stands, perhaps the rest of the game would have played out differently. At the time Taillon was still perfect and the Cubs would have been up three.
The ongoing point of interest, the Cubs against left-handed pitching. Carson Palmquist threw five innings. He allowed three hits, three walks and two runs. He ended up dropping to three losses in three career starts. Given the long, loud PCA out, it’s certainly not a performance that he’s spoking any balls on. Also, the Cubs didn’t exactly trash him either. It’s fair to say that the Cubs have been erratic against lefties. As this has been a running discussion, I will at some point do a deeper dive into the Cubs versus left-handed pitching.
Not a thing of beauty. But it’s another win. I’ve not sweated the losses. I’m not going to sweat the close wins either.
Pitch Counts:
Rockies: 135 (8 IP), 33 BF
Cubs: 129, 33 BF
After the massive games in Cincinnati in terms of the pitch count, this is a departure. Both teams were pretty efficient in this one. Of course, the Cubs were the more efficient. Less pitches, despite a whole other inning pitched. But hats off to the Rockies. They did a nice job pitching this one. Juan Mejia threw 38 pitches. I can’t imagine we see him again in the series.
Jameson Taillon started the Cubs off on the right foot, pitching into the seventh on 82 pitches. This is the second consecutive start that he has pitched into the seventh and in both games, the Cubs probably could have let him get even deeper. I don’t know that we will ever be able to pinpoint exactly where damage happens to an arm. One theory definitely suggests that not pitching past the point of exhaustion too often is one of the ways to avoid injury. Taillon didn’t run the tank to empty either day.
Out of the bullpen, Caleb Thielbar pitched in a second straight game, as did Daniel Palencia and Drew Pomeranz. None of them threw 20 pitches. One of the price tags for an extended stretch of winning is your leverage relievers getting a lot of work. The Cubs are going to have to mix some of their depth into some of these spots. In 2023, that was something they were not good at. Here in year three of his time in Chicago, he’s going to have to work on that. In fairness, Pomeranz and Palencia were nowhere on the radar. So progress has already been made.
Three Stars:
So many recent games have been about the hitters. We’re going to get some pitchers up here and we’re going to start with Taillon.
Kyle Tucker drove in two of the three runs. He had a hit and stole a base.
Daniel Palencia threw a perfect ninth.
Game 54, May 26: Cubs 3, Rockies 1 (33-21)
Fangraphs
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Jameson Taillon (.252). 6⅓ IP, 23 BF, 4 H, 0 BB, 1 ER, 7 K (W 4-3)
Hero: Kyle Tucker (.136). 1-3, SF, 2 RBI, SB
Sidekick: Daniel Palencia (.069). IP, 3 BF, 2 K (Sv 3)
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.072). 0-4
Goat: Justin Turner (-.053). 0-2
Kid: Dansby Swanson (-.052). 0-4, RBI
WPA Play of the Game: Mickey Moniak’s homer with two outs in the fifth didn’t get caught in the wind in right center. It tied the game at one and was the first baserunner allowed by Taillon. (.151)
*Cubs Play(s) of the Game: Kyle Tucker’s two-out single in the fifth drove in the second run for the Cubs. With one out in the sixth and runners on second and third, Jameson Taillon got a ground ball to second and Nico Hoerner threw home to preserve a narrow one run lead. (.146 – tie)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Poll
Who was the Cubs Player of the Game?
0%
Jameson Taillon
(0 votes)
0%
Daniel Palencia
(0 votes)
0%
Drew Pomeranz (1⁄3 IP, 1 BF, 2 inherited runners)
(0 votes)
0%
Ian Happ (1-3, BB, R)
(0 votes)
0%
Seiya Suzuki (1-3, 2B, BB)
(0 votes)
0%
Nico Hoerner (for the assist to home, 1 H)
(0 votes)
0%
Someone else (leave your suggestion in the comments)
(0 votes)
0 votes total
Yesterday’s Winner: Reese McGuire had 140 of 260 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Kyle Tucker +23
Shōta Imanaga/Drew Pomeranz/Miguel Amaya +11
Jameson Taillon +9
Seiya Suzuki -8.5
Michael Busch -10.33
Dansby Swanson -11.33
Ben Brown -14
Julian Merryweather -15
Up Next: Game two of the three game set, Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. Cade Horton (2-0, 4.40, 14⅓ IP) makes his third start and fourth appearance of his career. The Cubs have won all three times he’s pitched. He had his best start to date last time, holding the Marlins to one run over 5⅓ innings. It feels like he has pitched a little bit better each time out. Let’s hope he keeps that rolling.
30-year old Germán Márquez (1-7, 7.66, 47 IP) is making his 11th start of the season. The right-handed pitcher will be making the 185th start of his career (and 188th overall appearance). He was only healthy enough for one start last year and four the year before. So it’s not since 2022 that he was a regular full time starter. That guy wasn’t throwing batting practice. He did have a 4.95 ERA in 2022. But this is a guy that won nine or more five times in six years prior to the injuries. In four May starts, he is 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA in four starts and 21⅓ IP. He’s pitched well in two of his last three starts, throwing seven innings in two starts in Colorado. Aside from one start back in March, he’s gotten lit up on the road this year(0-4, 11.12, 22⅔ IP). He’s also struggled in night games (0-4, 13.02).
There are an adequate set of numbers that suggest that the Cubs should win Tuesday easier. I’m not going contrarian.