Jameson Taillon's latest rehab start gives Cubs fans a glimmer of hope in dark times

Things are looking rough for the Chicago Cubs right now, but Jameson Taillon just gave us a breath of fresh air in his latest rehab outing for the Iowa Cubs.

On Wednesday, Taillon fired 5 1/3 scoreless innings, with just two hits, two walks, and four strikeouts against the Worcester Red Sox.

It's a bit refreshing to see with the Cubs in a tailspin right now. The front office failed to meaningfully upgrade the roster, which was followed by a team-wide slump that has lingered well into August. This slump has also contributed to the Cubs falling even further behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who are the hottest team in baseball after the All-Star break, while the Cubs are struggling.

Taillon's outing completes his rehab from an unexpected calf strain that has left him sidelined since July 4. Taillon is set to return to the major league roster for his next start, which will likely take place in a consequential five-game series against the Brewers next week.

Can Jameson Taillon help turn things around for the Cubs?

Even though a starting pitcher was supposed to be the main priority at the trade deadline, Chicago's starters have been virtually the only bright spot for the team through this annoying skid. The bullpen has an ugly 5.24 ERA since the All-Star break, and the offense looks completely incapable of overcoming any deficit.

Where Taillon can help is filling out the team's fifth rotation spot. Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Colin Rea are holding their own with their starts, but the fifth spot is murky right now. Ben Brown has been getting the nod, and he has three consecutive outings of giving up only one earned run. But he has failed to go more than five innings in those outings, and his track record is unreliable this season (5.89 ERA on the year).

Javier Assad also returned on Tuesday after missing the entire season until this point. Unfortunately, he only tossed four innings, gave up eight hits, and four earned runs, including a three-run homer to Ernie Clement. Assad did not look sharp or ready to pitch, adding him to a long list of mid-level arms that the Cubs need more from.

Taillon will likely take this rotation spot and hopefully he continues to pitch like he did against Worcester, because the Cubs need him be at his best right now.