NEW YORK — Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon finished his outing even better than he started, ending another perfect inning with a four-pitch strikeout.
“I think it’s just a compound effect of, once you have a good outing, it starts building,” Taillon said. “The confidence starts building, and I feel like that carries over into my work and my delivery and my game planning and all that. It just gives me a little bit more conviction behind what I’m doing.”
The Cubs bounced back from a rain-soaked blowout loss the night before to beat the Mets 3-2. They scored their three runs on homers from Cody Bellinger and Mike Tauchman and an RBI double from Yan Gomes. But Taillon’s two-run performance over seven innings put the Cubs in a position to win and also extended a personal stretch of strong starts.
Dating back to the last time the Cubs were in New York — when Taillon held the Yankees scoreless through eight innings — the right-hander has thrown at least five innings while allowing three or fewer runs in six straight starts.
On Tuesday, Taillon gave up a two-run home run in the first inning to Pete Alonso, who also homered twice Monday. The long line drive bounced off the batter’s eye in center field just above the orange strip that marks the top of the wall.
Taillon faced just one batter over the minimum the rest of the way, retiring 16 in a row.
“These last days, we’ve been throwing a lot,” Cubs closer Adbert Alzolay said of Taillon’s impact on the bullpen. “He went out there, executed his plan and kept us in the game for seven innings.”
Reliever Julian Merryweather and Alzolay shut down the Mets the rest of the way.
Stroman throws bullpen
Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman (right hip inflammation) said his first full bullpen since landing on the injured list went “really well” Tuesday. He had gone through some light work before then, according to manager David Ross.
Stroman is eligible to return from the IL next Wednesday, and as long as his rehab continues to go well, the Cubs plan to slot him into the rotation around that date.
Jensen claimed
The Cubs cleared a spot on their 40-man roster on Tuesday. The Mariners claimed right-hander Ryan Jensen off waivers from the Cubs, the teams announced.
Jensen, the Cubs’ 2019 first-round pick (No. 27 overall), revamped his delivery last season. The Cubs rewarded him with a spot on the roster, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft and giving him an invitation to spring training. He’s posted a 5.77 ERA this year split between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa, averaging 7.98 walks per nine innings.
Feting Cubs Hall of Famers
The team announced they’re celebrating the 2023 Cubs Hall of Fame class at Wrigley Field September 8-10, when the Diamondbacks are in town.
The club plans to unveil Shawon Dunston and Mark Grace plaques that Sunday. The team will recognize Dunston on Friday and Grace on Saturday. The pair were announced as the newest inductees during the Cubs Convention in January.
