Jameson Taillon has been a decent starting pitcher in MLB for a decade. Some years have been better than others; his last two were pretty good for the Cubs after a rough first season in Chicago in 2023. I’ve met him and he seems to be a good guy.

I’m afraid Jamo might be past his sell-by date. Taillon served up five home runs to the White Sox Saturday night on the South Side and the Sox blew out the Cubs 8-3.

Not only was that the most for Taillon in any game in his career, it was one of the worst home-run-allowed performances by any Cubs pitcher, ever. From BCB’s JohnW53:

Taillon is just the eighth Cubs pitcher to surrender at least five home runs in a game.

The previous one was Matt Swarmer, the only one to serve up six, on June 11, 2022, at New York vs. the Yankees.

The six before him were, in order, Warren Hacker at Cincinnati in 1954, Steve Stone at home vs. the Reds in 1974, Ismael Valdez at the White Sox in 2000, Carlos Zambrano at Atlanta in 2011, Travis Wood at home vs. the Cardinals in 2012 and Jason Hammel at New York vs. the Mets in 2016.

Hammel gave up 10 runs; Wood and Zambrano, eight, the same as Taillon; Swarmer, six; and the three earliest, five. The Cubs won the game at the Sox, 6-5. They were outscored in the other earlier games, 53-16.

Not only that, but Taillon put the Cubs in a deep hole after just 10 pitches, which resulted in:

• A ball that ate up Matt Shaw at second base for a single
• A walk to Munetaka Murakami
• A home run to Miguel Vargas

Meanwhile, the Cubs couldn’t do anything with Davis Martin for three innings. One of those outs was Tristan Peters robbing Shaw on this sinking line drive [VIDEO].

Then Taillon served up two more homers, solo jobs, in the third to make it 5-0. The second one of those, by Colson Montgomery, went 442 feet, yikes. That one was reviewed, as it was pretty close to the foul pole, but was confirmed as a home run. At this point it was pretty obvious that Taillon was going to have to stay in the game for at least a couple more innings because two guys who could do long relief (Javier Assad and Trent Thornton) had both done so in Friday’s game.

Another homer, a two-run job by Murakami, made it 7-0 in the fifth.

The Cubs finally got on the board in the sixth with a home run of their own, Miguel Amaya’s third of the year [VIDEO].

One out later, Michael Busch singled and Alex Bregman doubled, perhaps giving some hope of a comeback. But Davis Martin struck out Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki to end the inning.

I am pretty sure Craig Counsell wanted Taillon to throw the entire sixth inning, but after he allowed a leadoff homer to Andrew Benintendi, that was it for Jamo. Five-plus innings, 90 pitches, five home runs. That gives Taillon 16 home runs allowed in 50.2 innings this year. That’s two more than anyone else (Zack Littell of the Nationals, 14). And it’s worse than that, because in two of his nine starts, Taillon allowed no home runs. So the 16 homers have been served up in just 40.2 of those 50.2 innings — and that’s after giving up 10 home runs in 13.2 innings in Spring Training. His ERA went up by more than a run after this game, from 3.94 to 4.97. Any way you do the math, it’s just bad.

The Cubs did have a chance to get back in the game in the seventh. They loaded the bases with one out on two walks and a single by Amaya sandwiched around a fielder’s choice. But Nico Hoerner flied to right and Busch grounded out to end the threat.

Ethan Roberts threw two scoreless innings in relief and Ryan Rolison had a 1-2-3 eighth, so that saved most of the leverage relievers from having to work in this blowout.

The Cubs got two consolation runs in the ninth. Michael Conforto led off with a double and one out later Pete Crow-Armstrong smashed this long home run [VIDEO].

That was PCA’s first homer since May 6, a span of 34 plate appearances. Perhaps he can go on a nice run now. Also, Bregman had two more hits in this game, extending his hitting streak to seven games in which he is batting .333/.354/.467 — maybe he, too, can get things going.

There was a scary moment in this game in the fourth inning when plate umpire Brian O’Nora got hit by a foul ball [VIDEO].

O’Nora had to leave the game and the rest of the game was played with three umpires. Hope he’s okay.

Here are some postgame remarks from Counsell [VIDEO].

So here’s the thing. With Sox starter Davis Martin dealing all year, the Cubs were going to have a tough time in this one regardless. But Taillon did not make things any easier. At this point I think Cubs management has to take some time to think about what’s next for him. In his postgame comments, Counsell mentioned “missed locations” by Taillon and while that’s true, there have been far too many of those this year. Four days of rest for Taillon would bring his turn up on Thursday, which is an off day for the Cubs. In my view it wouldn’t be a bad idea to just skip his next turn while he works on figuring out how to fix things.

Meanwhile, the Cubs still have a chance for a series win on the South Side. Colin Rea will start for the Cubs Sunday afternoon and Erick Fedde will go for the Sox. Game time is 1:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network (and also on CHSN and WCIU-Ch. 26 with the Sox announcers).

On Saturday, pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano 菅野 智之 made his ninth start with the Colorado Rockies and his fifth start at Coors Field. Sugano had a good day for the Rockies, pitching five innings and allowing two runs (both earned) on seven hits, and setting them up for a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

However, the day also marked a significant marker for the former Yomuiri Giant as he also tallied his 150th career win, despite experiencing some flu-like symptoms prior to his start.

Sugano was modest about the accomplishment, saying through interpreter Yuto Sakurai, “I’m obviously happy about it, but it’s just another win, so I want to look forward to the 151st win.”

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer wasn’t surprised.

“He’s just the ultimate professional on a daily basis,” Schaeffer said, “whether it’s pitching or not, around everybody else. You can just tell he’s been doing it at a high level for a long time. We celebrated the 150th in there today, but [I’m] very, very happy for him. It’s a great milestone, well deserved.”

Antonio Senzatela recognized the importance of his teammate’s accomplishment.

“It was really big,” Senzatela said. “He’s one of the best pitchers out there in Japan, and he’s performing really well here in Coors. He’s a nice human being, a nice person. I love him, and I’m so happy for him.”

An All-Star in Japan

An All-Star in Japan, Sugano won the Central League Most Valuable Player Award three times and the Eiji Sawamura Award twice.

“The No. 1 honorable thing I could say about [my career highlights] is playing for the Yomiuri Giants,” Sugano said. “I have a lot of history there, for 12 years, and the teammates and the coaching staff that I met throughout the process is probably my No. 1 thing.”

Despite his stature in Japan, Sugano acknowledged the different kind of pressures he’s experienced pitching in Japan and the United States.

“It’s a different type of pressure that I felt back in Japan versus here,” he said. “In Japan, I was expected, obviously, to win and pitch well every game. But over here, I’m more so feeling like a rookie. I was a rookie last year, and in terms of that, like not as much pressure over here,”

He decided to spend part of his baseball career in the United States.

“I was obviously in my latter part of the career in Japan,” Sugano said, “and I just didn’t want to have any regrets looking back in my career. So it was one of the things I wanted to accomplish, so I think that would be one of the biggest reasons.”

A rookie in the US — at elevation

Sugano is also learning to adjust to pitching at elevation.

“The first thing I noticed is how my off-speed pitches move here versus on the road,” Sugano said, “but I think I’m making good adjustments to that too.”

Currently, Sugano has a 4.07 ERA in 42.0 IP. His ERA at Coors Field is 4.71 while his road ERA comes in at 3.43, which suggests that Sugano is experiencing some of the same home-road adjustments as other Rockies pitchers. Worth noting, however, is that his home HR/9 is 1.29 while his road HR/9 is 2.57. So while he’s pitching better on the road, he’s giving up more home runs there than he does at Coors Field.

For Sugano, it’s about making the most of his sizable arsenal.

“I guess my strength is I get to pitch with different pitches,” Sugano said. “I haven’t looked through the arsenal to pitch around hitters, and that’s obviously my strength.”

He also pointed out that he’s enjoying his time in Denver, a big switch from Baltimore where Sugano spent the 2025 season.

“It’s an amazing city, easy to have a good life here,” Sugano said. “I like it. It’s, it’s just easy to live on a day-to-day basis.

To Read: Rockpiles

• Monday:Paul Worley gives Rockies prospects real-world English practice | Renee Dechert
• Tuesday: Rockies players share their experiences from the Cultural Education & Development Program | Sam Bradfield
• Wednesday:Is the Platoon System Working for the Rockies? | Skyler Timmins
• Thursday:Checking in on players the Rockies moved in the 2026 offseason | Cory Cohen
• Friday:Is Michael Lorenzen’s 2026 unlucky so far or a sign of trouble for Rockies? | Joelle Milholm
• Saturday:Hunter Goodman: An Extreme Profile | James Riggenbach

To Read: Other News

• Weekly Pebble Report: JB Middleton focuses on pitch development | Renee Dechert, Skyler Timmins, & Evan Lang
• Rockies injury news:Chase Dollander leaves Rockies-Pirates game | Sam Bradfield
• Rockies roster news:Rockies call up OF Sterlin Thompson, place RHP Chase Dollander on IL | Evan Lang
• Rockies injury news:Rockies pitcher Chase Dollander appears to have avoided the worst | Evan Lang

Weekend Discussion Topics

Tomoyuki Sugano’s 150th career win across Japan and the United states is one of many career milestones reached with (or against) the Rockies in their relatively short team history. What are some others you can think of, or believe might be reached in the near future?

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Based on almost all preseason projections, the St. Louis Cardinals have outperformed expectations and have shifted the fan view from rebuilding to contending in just a couple short months. Now, as Chaim Bloom has to answer the question “buy or sell”, fans also wonder what this hot start means for this season and beyond. The original thought was that this year would give us some answers on much of the roster, but what we did not anticipate was that those answers would result in a rebuild that is years ahead of schedule. So that brings me to my question this week: Most of us expected a painful season but we are getting the complete opposite. Because of that, are we allowed to be disappointed in the Cardinals this year if they finish below .500 or miss the playoffs?

As a lifelong fan, I always go into every season with high expectations and good vibes, even if the team is not looking so hot on paper. Even if I disagree with the lineup or roster decisions, I am still going to cheer for a 10-0 shutout win. I would much rather be wrong about a player I thought was bad than be right and see them continue to struggle. And this year, my expectations were higher than most and I am beyond happy with how the season has started. In our recent Redbird Rundown episode with Joe Roderick, we handed out quarter grades and I gave the whole team an A, even though some individuals received plenty of marks worse. Now, if that A grade drops to say, a C by the All-Star break, will I be upset? 100% yes, but that is because I want my team to go 162-0 despite the need for this reset season.

The Cardinals have outperformed this year. If they miss the playoffs, does this season become a disappointment?

To give you my answer right away, yes, I will be disappointed if the Cardinals miss the postseason again, but that is the case every year for me. From a zoomed out perspective, though, that may not be fair for this season specifically. The main objective for this season was simply to get answers on the current roster after shipping off the high-priced and underperforming veterans who did not fit into the timeline for the next competitive St. Louis Cardinals team. Through the first two-plus months of the season, I would say that they are well on the way of fulfilling that mission thanks to phenomenal performances by Jordan Walker and JJ Wetherholt, while Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera, Alec Burleson, and Nathan Church have all shown plenty enough to be considered for the long(er)-term.

The other spots on the lineup taken up by Victor Scott II, Nolan Gorman, and Pedro Pages have created additional conversations of their own, with fans and surely the organization wondering where they all fit beyond this year. Scott has been a massive disappointment, especially after hearing about all of the work he did in the offseason to rework his swing and become more than a stellar defensive center fielder. With Lars Nootbaar returning in the next couple of weeks, the outfield competition is going to be one to keep an eye on. At third, Gorman has been my own personal disappointment as I was excited to see a truly uninterrupted “runway” on defense and in the middle-ish of the order. So far, he is simply showing that what we have seen is who is going to be, with a little better glove than we anticipated. On a team with other run producers and table setters in the order, a.220 batting average and .700 OPS would not be a huge detriment, but when he was expected to be one of the boppers, I understand why Cardinal Nation remains down on his future. As for Pages… I’ll let all of you sound off in the comments about his role with the team. Whether Jimmy Crooks is ready or not, I personally feel it is time to see at least one of the catching prospects get their shot in St. Louis, with Pages then moving into the Yohel Pozo role. We talked with Kyle Reis this week, and he noted that the clubhouse culture is so good right now that the team likely does not want to upset the vibe, so Kyle went as far to say go ahead and send Thomas Saggese down and have four catchers on the roster. Not a bad idea as Saggese would definitely fall into the disappointing category, but is still just 24-years-old so some additional time in Memphis would be best for everyone.

On the pitching side, I personally feel what we are seeing is what the expectations were for the starting five. While the minor leagues has the more exciting arsenals, we are still a little bit away from seeing those arms in the bigs and the major league staff has done exactly what was needed this year. The team obviously hoped to get a little more from Kyle Leahy in the rotation, but he has been completely serviceable thus far. Unfortunately, his service would be better on a team with more exciting arms, but being surrounded by Andre Pallante overshadows his overall effectiveness. There are no complaints from me about Michael McGreevy, although I am nervous for how potentially ugly it could get if the metrics catch up to his real life performance. Matthew Liberatore and Dustin May have been just fine, despite both probably having a little higher expectations coming into the year.

The bullpen rollercoaster is never fun, regardless of a rebuild or competitive window, but holy cow what a ride we have had so far. Riley O’Brien has performed like a top closer in all of baseball, but in my opinion, is best used as a trade piece alongside JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek. Unfortunately, removing this many arms would create an even scarier reliever alignment, which could cause the team to tumble from contender to rebuild, especially if Matt Svanson and crew are unable to right the ship.

It is that realistic situation that makes me a little uneasy about getting my hopes up too much in May. As someone who is financially invested in the Cardinals’ win totals and potential to make the playoffs, I hope they continue on this amazing run, but the recent comments from Chaim Bloom about the deadline strategy keeps me from counting all the money in the bank. Recently, Bloom said the plan remains to build towards the future but they could get “creative” to keep the young core together and plug some holes that may also have some long-term value. Reading not-so in between the lines, veterans and those on one-year deals may not want to put the finishing touches on their St. Louis residence just yet. This means guys like O’Brien, May, Romero, Stanek, and even Lars Nootbaar and/or Ramon Urias could find themselves playing for a different organization before the summer concludes. Over on Twitter, I asked if the replacements for those subtractions would really be that much of a difference from the current contingent. The overwhelming response was no, and those new bodies might even be better.

In the bullpen, I do not necessarily agree. The Memphis Shuttle has not run as often as it typically has in the past, so any reinforcements would come in the form of Chris Roycroft, Ryan Fernandez, and Hunter Dobbins before diving into the non-40-man options. Outside of Dobbins, the other two would be a fresh arm replacement for someone in the big league bullpen, rather than heavy artillery coming in to close the door. In this potential outcome, it is a very real possibility that starters’ outings and solid early game offense could be wasted with late game collapses, causing a tumble down the standings and, therefore, my feeling of disappointment towards the season. In that case, the answer to my question is a definitive yes, although I am very strongly against dealing from the depth for bullpen relief. For my armchair GM capabilities, I would simply live on the waiver wire and dumpster dive my way into a diamond in the rough while churning over spots 38-40 on the roster.

It is no surprise that the stellar start to the Cardinals’ season has altered fan perspective on the year, but is that fair to the team? I think so. The players and coaches in the dugout never came into the season expecting to lose, quite the opposite honestly. Everyone on the roster expected this team to be competitive and we are seeing all 26/40 guys pulling on the same end of the rope. Any roster shakeup would come with the potential of messing up that clubhouse aura, and with the overall goal of this year being to find who will be here for the future, it makes the most sense to stay the course.

Let me hear what you think! If the team hovers at or below .500 for the rest of the year, will this year be a failure? Is this a playoff caliber team? Time to cash in on prospects?

Thanks as always!

I’ll be honest. College baseball is decidedly not my thing. The very best college prospects sometimes end up in Double-A, while the vast majority will be sent to A ball or perhaps the complex. If I wanted that I could, you know, go see actual minor leaguers in person. I know “gotta support the school” and all, but I paid tuition to two of them so we’re even. And I find that as a working parent and a guy who watches the Braves intently, I don’t have the bandwidth.

But thankfully, I don’t represent everybody. And some of you really like college baseball. Some of you have played it and others are parents of current players. And I’ve noticed that this place clears out when there’s no Braves game and the NCAA baseball tournament.

This year, the Braves have the eighth highest draft pool. They could end up drafting some of the better prospects. So I’m gonna attempt to follow the college baseball postseason this year. You might get a baseball tournament roundup, or at least an aggregated one from other coverage pretty soon.

So are you going to watch the college baseball tournaments? Are there any players that you’re following? Can you all help me find what to watch for? I know UCLA is good, and there are 8 SEC teams in the top 25. Also, can players jump up the board drastically with a good postseason? I know college football players do all the time. Regardless, you’re going to hear more about it in the coming weeks. The minor league team is already on the hunt, and I’ll be chipping in where I can.

Columbus Clippers 11, St. Paul Saints 7

Clippers fall to 22-22

Every single member of the Columbus Clippers lineup had at least one hit on Saturday, with three top prospects all homering.

Cooper Ingle led the way, going 2-for-5 with a three-run home run.

Angel Genao also blasted his second home run in as many days, also going 2-for-5 and raising his Triple-A OPS to 1.006.

George Valera was the other Clipper to homer.

Juan Brito reached base safely four times, going 1-for-2 with three walks. Kahlil Watson doubled and had a sacrifice fly while Nolan Jones doubled and walked. Stuart Fairchild doubled and walked and Kody Huff went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base.

Starting pitcher Logan Allen got hammered for six runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings with two strikeouts and two walks.

Jack Leftwich added 2.1 scoreless innings of relief while Daniel Espino added a scoreless inning while striking out the size. Tanner Burns earned the save by getting the final out of the ninth inning.

Akron RubberDucks 5, Chesapeake Baysox 8

RubberDucks fall to 21-17

Ralphy Velazquez had a big hit for Akron, tripling. Jose Devers had the lone multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a double. Conner Barstad walked twice.

Starting pitcher Josh Hartle allowed two runs on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks is 5.0 innings.

Adam Tulloch allowed five unearned runs in 0.2 innings, which put the game out of reach.

Lake County Captains 5, Dayton Dragons 8

Captains fall to 18-19

Luke Hill had a huge game for Lake County, but it wasn’t enough. Hill went 2-for-2 with a home run, a double and two walks, raising his season OPS to 1.006.

Catching prospect Bennett Thompson also had a monster performance, going 3-for-4 with two doubles.

Ryan Cesarini also reached base three times, going 1-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base.

Starting pitcher Jackson Humphries allowed five runs on three hits with five walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings pitched.

Michael Kennedy allowed three additional runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings.

Hill City Howlers 4, Wilson Warbirds 8

Howlers fall to 20-18

Johan Rodriguez had the lone multi-hit game, going 2-for-4.

Jose Pirela went 1-for-3 with a walk, while Cannon Peebles went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. Robert Arias tripled while Yaikel Mijares walked twice and stole a base. Jhorvic Abreus homered.

Starting pitcher Will McCausland allowed four runs on six hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 4.0 innings.

Jervis Alfaro allowed four additional runs on seven hits in 3.0 innings.

Luke Fernandez added a scoreless inning of relief.

ACL Guardians 2, ACL Mariners 9

Guardians fall to 7-4

A rehabbing Gabriel Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a double while Reiner Herrera went 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

Starting pitcher Erigaldi Perez allowed three runs on six hits in 4.0 innings. He struck out four and walked two.

The Nats have finally done it! After 15 failed attempts, the Nationals finally got over the hump, beating the Orioles 13-3 to reach .500. It is May 17th, and the Washington Nationals enter play with a 23-23 record. Seeing the instant impact this new regime has made has truly been a joy to watch as someone who covers the team.

The game yesterday was a close and tense affair until it suddenly was not. While the Nats were always in the driver’s seat, there was a feeling of tension around the game until the bottom of the 7th. The Nats got out to a 4-0 lead, and had chances to blow the game open, but did not take them.

For a minute, it seemed like that lack of a killer instinct would cost the Nats. It was quickly forgotten, but that top of the 7th was a bit of a disaster. After the Nats loaded the bases with nobody out, but did not score in the 5th, it seemed like the momentum shifted. Cade Cavalli pitched brilliantly in the first 6 innings, but ran into a wall in the 7th.

The O’s took advantage of that, hitting back to back jacks off the Nationals right hander to start the inning. The rest of the inning was a long and winding road that included walks, robberies and long at bats. However, the Nats got out of there allowing just one more run to hold onto the lead.

Winding back a bit, the Nats got out to that big lead due to their catcher. With how he is hitting, I don’t think we can call Keibert Ruiz an unlikely hero anymore. He is showing a ton of power right now. For the season, he has 13 extra base hits in 87 AB’s. Last year, he had 14 XBH in 255 AB’s. Sure, Ruiz’s .244 OBP is terrible, but he is making up for it with a .471 slugging percentage. He hit a massive 3-run homer in the second in this contest.

It is very cool to see Ruiz have big games at the plate. I have been critical of Ruiz over the years, but he seems like a good character and a hard worker. Blake Butera said as much when I asked him about Ruiz. Butera called Ruiz, “An incredible person to coach”. He pointed to Ruiz’s willingness to work on things and try new ideas.

At the beginning of the season, Ruiz really struggled at the plate. It felt like Ruiz was so keyed into making defensive improvements that it hurt his offense. To his credit, Ruiz’s defense has gotten way better. He has a +1 fielding run value, which is a huge step forward. Last year, he was at -10, and has consistently been one of the worst defensive catchers in the league. You have to give a ton of credit to new catching coach Bobby Wilson, as well as Ruiz.

Now that the defense is where he wants it to be, it seems like Keibert has been trying to get back to his best as a hitter. Over the last couple weeks, he has really done that. In May, Ruiz is hitting .323 with a 1.097 OPS. Sure, he does not have any walks, but he is showing a better approach at the plate. He is waiting for pitches that he can do damage with and crushing them. Even Jacob Young noted that he thought Ruiz was doing a better job getting his A swing off.

Right now, Ruiz has a 94 wRC+ while being an above average defender behind the plate. That will certainly play, and I think the Nats should be playing Ruiz more. However, they still need to balance that with not overplaying him like they have in the past. While he is clearly the best catching option right now, you want to keep him fresh.

Overall, this was just an outstanding day at the ballpark. That bottom of the 7th inning was electric. This offense just kept attacking the O’s pitchers and never let up. With the way Lile and Ruiz are hitting, this offense is so dangerous to pitch to. It is not just Abrams and Wood anymore, the supporting cast is coming through too.

Jacob Young’s homer was the cherry on top of that inning. He was one of many Nationals to have a big game today. Young hit his 4th homer of the season, which is already a career high. He also made a couple outstanding plays on defense, including one in the top of the 7th. Sure the bat can be frustrating, but there is a reason Young has a role on this team. The extra power is also a fun, new element to his game.

One thing that stood out to me in the press box was how great the crowd was. There were over 40,000 people in the building, and they were engaged. Sure, there were some O’s fans in attendance, and they got loud in that 7th inning. However, it was a pro Nats crowd that was cheering on their squad throughout.

Blake Butera was quick to give the fans credit after the game. Before he took questions, he made a little statement thanking the fans and talking about how much it meant to the team. He talked about how much the players love playing in front of a big crowd and said they were talking about how much Navy Yard was buzzing. To see them make that big crowd happy as well fired me up.

The best way to get people to come to the games is to win, especially on days where there are already big crowds. You have to make the Nationals cool again, and this weekend is a huge step in the right direction. These two games have created a real buzz around this team. Blake Butera may not want to acknowledge it, but getting back to .500 plays a role in creating more buzz going forward.