This recap of the Cubs’ 3-1 loss to the Marlins Wednesday evening at Wrigley Field is going to be fairly short and to the point.

Partly, that’s because this game was the shortest of the year so far for the Cubs: Two hours, 11 minutes. As you know, I’m always a fan of shorter games. (More so, of course, if the Cubs win them.)

But it’s also going to be brief because that was the sum of the Cubs offense — four hits, a couple of walks, and there’s really only one story to this game.

To wit: What is going on with Jameson Taillon?

After surrendering three home runs to the Marlins — all of the solo variety — Taillon now leads MLB with 13 home runs allowed. Not only that, but he has now served up seven home runs in his last 10 innings pitched, yikes.

I am not going to suggest injury, he certainly doesn’t appear injured. Tipping pitches? Maybe. Honestly, I have no idea why all the home runs.

But that is a LOT of home runs in a very short period of time. Last year Taillon allowed 21 home runs in 165⅓ innings, more than three times his current inning count of 49⅔. At this pace he’ll blow through that by the end of June.

Funny thing, too, apart from the homers Taillon wound up with a decent outing — didn’t walk anyone and struck out seven, and for the effort gets a “quality start,” for whatever that’s worth. Here are the seven K’s [VIDEO].

Here’s more on Taillon’s start [VIDEO].

More about the homers allowed by Taillon from BCB’s JohnW53:

Jameson Taillon gave up three runs on three solo homers. Cubs starting pitchers had done that in 38 previous games since 1901.

The most recent had been Shota Imanaga, who gave up seven hits in seven innings of a 6-3 win over the Dodgers at Los Angeles on Sept. 10 of last season.

That was the first since May 27, 2021, when Kyle Hendricks gave up seven hits in seven innings in a 5-3 win at Pittsburgh. Hendricks also had done it in 2018, giving up four hits in 7.2 at home in a 3-1 loss to the Rockies.

Eleven starters have done it since 2000, including Mark Prior twice. Other two-timers since 1901: Steve Trachsel (1994 and 1996), Frank Castillo (both in 1995) and Jon Lieber (1999 and 2000).

Among one-timers: Kyle Farnsworth, Jason Hammel, Dan Haren, Ken Holtzman, Larry Jackson, Ferguson Jenkins, Jon Lester, Kerry Wood . . . and Ernie Broglio!

The summary of what happened in this game will also be mercifully short. Kyle Stowers homered off Taillon in the second. In the third, Agustin Ramirez hit his to make it 2-0, then Stowers went deep again for a 3-0 Marlins lead.

Seiya Suzuki cut one off that lead in the bottom of the fourth with this solo homer [VIDEO].

The Cubs threatened to score only once more. They loaded the bases in the sixth on a double by Kyle Tucker, a walk by Carson Kelly and a nicely-placed bunt single by Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Unfortunately, PCA’s bunt came with two out, and Nico Hoerner struck out to end the inning. That was the only inning in which the Cubs had a runner past first base (other than Suzuki’s homer).

A leadoff single by Dansby Swanson in the eighth was erased when Tucker hit into a double play. The Cubs saw only four pitchers by Anthony Bender in that inning, unusual for the usually patient-hitting Cubs.

For the second straight night, Jesús Tinoco came on to close for the Marlins. And the same hitters, mostly, were due up, beginning with Kelly. But this time Tinoco retired the Cubs 1-2-3 and that was that.

The bullpen did a good job of keeping the game close. Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller and Porter Hodge threw three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk and striking out four.

The only other interesting thing that happened in this game was some thick fog that rolled in off Lake Michigan, at times making it hard to see the infield from the bleachers (Bluesky link):

In some ways it was disappointing for the Cubs to not sweep this series, but again, as we have said — keep piling up series wins and good things will follow. Meatloafing this series is still a decent result. Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].

And one more note from BCB’s JohnW53:

The Cubs had lost just three previous games since 1901 by 3-1 in which the opposing team’s runs came on three solo homers. In two of them, the Cubs’ run came on a homer, as it did Wednesday.

The most recent game had been May 1, 2018, at home against the Rockies. Anthony Rizzo homered in the first inning.

On Aug. 16, 2015, at the White Sox, Jorge Soler homered in the ninth.

On June 29, 1960, at home against the Braves, the Cubs’ run came on a third-inning double by Ernie Banks and an RBI single by Bob Will.

The Cubs are 25-11 in all games when they have allowed three runs on three homers.

The Cubs will have Thursday off, their third straight Thursday without a game, and then open a three-game series against the crosstown White Sox at Wrigley Field Friday afternoon. Cade Horton will start for the Cubs — and at this writing he’s listed as a starter, no opener this time — and Shane Smith goes for the White Sox. Game time Friday is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage is via Marquee Sports Network, MLB Network (outside the Cubs/White Sox shared market territory) and Chicago Sports Network (with the Sox announcers).