Insane Christopher Morel home run overshadows yet another Jameson Taillon gem
Three starts into the his 2024 campaign, the Cubs right-hander is looking like exactly what Craig Counsell needs in his injury-depleted starting rotation.
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I can't say I had 'get no-hit for seven innings' and 'miraculously still come away with a win' on my Cubs bingo card tonight - but that's how it played out after Christopher Morel blasted a towering game-winning blast into the left field seats in the top of the ninth inning at Citi Field.
New York Mets right-hander Luis Severino stole the show tonight, no-hitting Craig Counsell's club into the eighth, but at the end of the day, it will be the Morel home run that is remembered. Also lost in the late-inning heroics is the masterful performance the Cubs got from Jameson Taillon, who has been as locked in as ever in his first three starts of the season.
Cubs get a third-straight brilliant outing from Jameson Taillon
Taillon may not have come away with the victory but make no mistake: without him, the Cubs don't win this ballgame. As Severino continued mowing down his teammates inning after inning, Chicago's veteran right-hander put it on cruise control after a Brandon Nimmo solo shot in the bottom of the first, pitching into the eighth and keeping the Mets off the board the rest of the night.
We all recall how Taillon's Cubs tenure began last season: disastrously. But over his last 18 starts, the former first-rounder has been exactly what Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins hoped for when they brought him in.
Jameson Taillon's last 18 starts with the Cubs:
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) April 30, 2024
108.2 IP, 3.06 ERA
So, yes, we're all going to celebrate Morel coming up big when the team is down two of its biggest bats in Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger. We're going to be hyped about the Cubs winning a game after not mustering a single hit until the eighth. But let's put some respect on Jameson Taillon, who has given this starting rotation a shot in the arm and another dependable presence alongside Shota Imanaga with Justin Steele sidelined.
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