Jameson Taillon’s first big-league start in seven weeks required just six pitches to retire the first two Milwaukee Brewers hitters.
By the end of the first inning, however, Taillon’s pitch count had climbed to 30 as the Chicago Cubs trailed by one run. For a bullpen that covered 11 outs in Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader at Wrigley Field, the Cubs needed Taillon to give them quality innings in the nightcap.
Six batters in, that possibility quickly was slipping away.
“It’s kind of what the Brewers do — they treat every at-bat like it’s a really big moment,” Taillon said. “Two outs, nobody on, they build something.”
Once Taillon escaped the first without further damage, he regrouped in the dugout with pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and catcher Carson Kelly to go over the game plan and try to get his pitch count in check.
Taillon responded by keeping the Brewers off the board over the next five innings, and the Cubs offense countered against Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff, putting up three runs off the right-hander en route to a 4-1 victory.
Following their 6-4 win in Game 1, the Cubs (72-54) secured their first doubleheader sweep since May 4, 2021, against the Los Angeles Dodgers and only their second against the Brewers, the other occurring Aug. 16, 2016.
More Top Picks Auditory Processing Disorder Vs Adhd How To Tell
“You couldn’t ask for more. I know he feels good and was a big part of this win,” manager Craig Counsell said of Taillon’s six innings of one-run ball. “(Taillon) is our consistent guy to me and delivers innings every time out. That’s important in this stretch and is going to be important the rest of the season.”
Taillon had targeted this series for his return from a right calf strain. He felt he used the downtime wisely, rehabbing the injury to ensure he honed his delivery and maintained his work in the weight room. He called that the silver lining to missing so many games.
He rejoins a rotation that has been rolling with an MLB-best 3.10 ERA since the All-Star break.
As the Cubs approach September, Taillon’s and Shota Imanaga’s injuries this year have positioned the two starters to carry less mileage on their arms during the stretch run, which could prove valuable. Imanaga will enter Thursday’s start at 103 innings — nearly 70 fewer than he totaled in 2024 — while Taillon’s start Tuesday put him at 101 1/3, still 64 away from last year’s mark.
“I like being that guy where the defense and the position players show up to the field and know I’m pitching and know that I can go deep in a game and keep us in it. I take a lot of pride in that,” Taillon said. “I take pride in taking the ball and being available. … Hopefully I can be that guy down the stretch for us.
“If there’s any way for me to help save some of the bullpen or save some of the other starters and go on five days instead of six days or skip off days, I’ll be more than happy to do it.”
Owen Caissie, getting his second straight start in right field amid Kyle Tucker’s mental reset, tied the game in the second with a bloop single to left. He scored from first on Michael Busch’s double to give the Cubs a lead they didn’t relinquish. Caissie drove in four of the Cubs’ 10 runs in the doubleheader.
The Cubs tacked on runs in the fifth and sixth behind clutch hitting.
Nico Hoerner, who entered the day with a .373 average with runners in scoring position, delivered a two-out single off lefty Aaron Ashby to drive in Ian Happ from second. With the Brewers infield playing in trying to keep it a two-run game in the sixth, Busch’s well-placed high chopper allowed Matt Shaw to beat second baseman Brice Turang’s throw home.
The Brewers’ greatest threat to rally was snuffed out thanks to the Cubs’ do-it-all utilityman. On the heels of a big three-run home run in Game 1, his first homer as a Cub, Willi Castro entered in right field to start the sixth. The ball soon found him in a pivotal moment.
The Brewers brought the tying run to the plate with runners on the corners and one out in the seventh against reliever Taylor Rogers, who got Sal Frelick to hit a fly ball to right. Castro set up perfectly and fired a 93.4 mph dart — his hardest throw of the season — to Kelly to nab the speedy Turang for an inning-ending and momentum-shifting double play.
Counsell said he knew Turang was out as soon as he saw the ball come out of Castro’s hand. The sequence caused Wrigley Field to erupt.
More Top Picks Best Womens Softshell Jackets
“I’m always ready,” Castro said. “I was patient to wait for the ball to come down and obviously got rid of it really quick and had a really perfect throw.”