How Chicago Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon did in his rehab start with the Iowa Cubs

As Iowa Cubs manager Marty Pevey walked to the mound to come take the ball from starting pitcher Jameson Taillon, the veteran right-hander’s temporary Triple-A teammates in the infield surrounded him, giving him congratulatory pats on the back.

Taillon shined in what is expected to be his final rehabilitation start with Iowa, tossing 5.1 strong scoreless innings against the Worcester Red Sox at Principal Park on Aug. 13. The Chicago Cubs pitcher struck out four, gave up just two hits and walked only two before departing with one out in the fifth inning.

He threw 84 pitches, 51 of which went for strikes. He topped out at 92.1 miles per hour and generated eight swing and misses while getting a no-decision. The outing was a step in the right direction for Taillon, who has been missed in Chicago’s starting rotation.

“I feel healthy and ready to rock,” Taillon said in an interview with the Des Moines Register following his outing.

Taillon is 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA in 17 starts with Chicago this season, but hasn’t pitched in a big-league game since June 29. The veteran has been on the injured list since early July with a right-calf strain. He’s slowly been working his way back from the injury.

The righty struggled in his first rehab start with Iowa on Aug. 3 when he allowed seven runs on seven hits in three innings of work. He was sharper in his second outing, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out six in 4.2 innings at St. Paul on Aug. 8.

But he was at his best against Worcester on Aug. 13. Taillon retired the first five hitters he faced and 10 of the first 11. The only setback early on came when he surrendered a two-out walk in the second inning.

“I thought my first outing was all about health,” Taillon said. “The second outing was getting back into the game routine, gameday process. And then I thought today was like, ‘Let’s just go out there and treat this like a normal start.'”

Taillon said he had a pregame meeting with Iowa catcher Carlos Perez and went over hitters in between innings to make it feel as close to a typical outing as possible. It worked, with Taillon mostly cruising throughout the day.

The only true trouble he encountered came in the fourth when Taillon gave up a soft single up the middle with one out. He then gave up a bloop single to center that, because of the throw, put runners on second and third.

He got out of the jam unharmed by getting a popout for the second out and a strikeout of Worcester’s Nathan Hickey, who whiffed on a 78.8-mile-per-hour curveball to end the frame.

Taillon walked the leadoff hitter in the sixth but got a strikeout for the first out of the inning. He was then lifted after reaching his pitch count. Relief pitcher Keegan Thompson got the final two outs of the inning to keep Taillon’s shutout in place.

“I thought it was productive,” Taillon said of his day.

That’s likely the last of Taillon’s time with Iowa. Chicago manager Craig Counsell told reporters earlier this week that Taillon was expected to rejoin the Cubs’ rotation after his latest outing in Des Moines. Taillon said he got the same message.

Taillon has made the most of his time back in the minors. While many big league players purchase the postgame spread for their minor league teammates during rehab assignments, Taillon went a different route in his first start with Iowa. He got a local coffee truck to serve teammates before a day game. During his start in St. Paul, Minn., Taillon got food from an upscale steakhouse in town. For his final outing in Iowa, he got an ice cream truck to visit Principal Park.

“These day games, it’s like, ‘Let’s get creative and do something different,'” Taillon said.

While Taillon has embraced his brief time back in the minors, a trip back to the big leagues is something he’s been waiting for ever since he landed on the injured list. With Chicago’s recent run of troubles, Taillon hopes he can help them get back on track.

“It’s tough sitting and watching…I’m ready to get back and help anyway I can,” Taillon said.

With the Cubs not acquiring a top-of-the-rotation starter at the trade deadline, the club made it clear it’s hoping that Taillon and others on Chicago’s staff can lead the way for a second-half surge. Getting Taillon and his nine seasons of MLB experience back would be a big boost.

He is ready for the responsibility.

“It kind of puts a lot of faith in all of us, not just a couple of starters,” he said.

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon looks sharp in rehab outing with Iowa Cubs