Counsell, Pearson ejected in blowout loss to Reds |
CINCINNATI — With the MLB Trade Deadline less than 24 hours away, much attention will gravitate toward the Chicago Cubs (51-57) and their plans. Despite sitting at the bottom of the NL Central and looking lifeless offensively, they have some talented players on this roster that some teams may value.
One of those players happens to be Jameson Taillon, who made the surprising start against the Cincinnati Reds (51-55) on Monday at the Great American Ballpark. The other is Cody Bellinger, who was activated prior to the game but wasn't in the lineup. Given how the trade market fell on Monday, with several pitchers getting dealt, Taillon may be the best name left on the market, so starting him in this one made no sense. “I love being in Chicago,” Taillon said. “I love all the guys here. I don’t feel like I have to go shout it from the rooftops. Chicago’s a great place to play. Wrigley’s the best. The fans are the best. Hopefully it works out.” Not only do you risk getting him hurt and ruining any potential trade, but you also risk a terrible outing, potentially killing all of the positive stock he has built up this season. That was the case in this one, with Taillon laboring through four-plus innings as he was charged with six earned runs in a 7-1 loss. With that start, his ERA rose from 2.95 to 3.35, and it has to make you wonder what the Cubs were thinking by trotting him out there. Perhaps they think they still have a shot at this thing, which is why they chose to let Christopher Morel go for Isaac Paredes, but with him out of the lineup, it made the Taillon start even less plausible. To make matters worse, his rough outing came against Carson Spiers, who had been making his first start since returning from the IL, as he delivered five innings of one-hit ball to silence the Cubs. Anytime you can get that type of performance from your starter, runs are less essential to get the job done, and with Will Benson taking Taillon deep in the second, the Reds led 2-0 in what would be the only offense they would need. With the lone hit off Spiers coming in the first, you knew it would be a long offensive night for this team as they failed to put a runner on base in either of his final three innings as he retired the final 12 batters he faced. Taillon was hoping for the same results, but after a Spencer Steer double in the third made this a 3-0 ballgame, he was now trying to keep his team in the game as opposed to getting as deep as possible. Eventually, Taillon looked as if he was settling in, only to have Santiago Espinal pick up a one-out single in the fifth before moving to second on a Jonathan India walk. The big blow of the game came immediately after that walk, as TJ Friedl uncorked his fifth homer of the season to chase Taillon with the Reds in front 6-0. This was Friedl's third homer of the season against the Cubs, which accounts for more than half of his season total. Taillon was relieved by Jorge Lopez and the rest of the Cubs pen as they continued to do their job. “He didn’t pitch well tonight. I think it’s easy to link the two,” Counsell said after trade deadline rumors with Taillon. “I understand. His name has been mentioned, so you can link it. And you’re going to think about it. When you see your name, you’re going to think about it. That’s real, for sure. But Jamo knows he’s got a job to do, as well.” It took the Cubs offense five innings to pick up their second hit, with Nico Hoerner leading off the sixth with a single, only to be left stranded at first. Following a scoreless outing from Lopez, it was the Chicago Cubs debut for Nate Pearson, who was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. The once-top prospect in the Blue Jays system and top-10 prospect overall, Pearson, has had a rough go of things lately, and the Cubs are hoping a change of scenery can change that. Pearson showed plenty of flashes in this outing, although allowing a solo shot to Jeimer Candelario in the bottom half of the eighth wasn't what he wanted to do, as the Reds were now in front 7-0. It was the next batter when things got interesting. Pearson lost the grip on his fastball and drilled Tyler Stephenson right in the head. Although there was no intent behind it, Pearson and Craig Counsell were both ejected from the game, and Drew Smyly took over to finish off the eight. Nate Pearson was ejected from tonight's game after hitting Tyler Stephenson. “It’s not how I drew it up,” Pearson said about hitting Stephenson. “That was not my intention at all. I’m definitely not trying to do that [in my] first outing as a Cub. Unfortunately, that’s what happened. The umpires made a call and I understand why they did it.” Still searching for their first run of the game, Michael Busch delivered. His lead-off homer to begin the ninth was the Cubs' third hit of the game, breaking the shutout 7-1. Michael Busch - Chicago Cubs (13) That was about the only positive aspect of this one. Buck Farmer retired the next three hitters to secure the win. With their offensive struggles seemingly reaching the point where no end is in sight, Tuesday could be a very active day for the Cubs on the trade market. Several names have the potential to be moved, including Hector Neris, Mark Leiter Jr., Hoerner, and Smyly. Along with the obvious choices, these are all possible trade options for the Cubs as they look to retool for 2025.
Craig Counsell was ejected as well. pic.twitter.com/mDtDNKL5qQ
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