Taillon not worried about rough rehab outing
Jameson Taillon showed some rust in his first rehab start Sunday in Iowa. But he was back in the Cubs’ clubhouse a day later to calm any concerns.
“The (stat) line's obviously not very good, but I actually felt pretty good,” Taillon said. “I thought the delivery was good. Calf was good. Of course, first pitch of the game, I had to cover first, which was so predictable. So it was good to get that out of the way.”
Taillon has been out since June 29 with a right calf strain. Sunday in Des Moines, he was battered by Indianapolis for 7 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 home runs in 3-plus innings pitched.
“Obviously, results are nice, you want to get them,” he said. “But I think the first one, it's more important to just check the box, make sure we're healthy, get back into the flow of it. Now it's kind of time to flip out of that rehab mode back into compete mode. But all things considered, I think there were a lot of positives.”
Taillon talked about having to write down his entire pregame routine, since it has been so long since he's done it. The next steps are a bullpen session Wednesday at Wrigley Field, followed by another start for Iowa on Friday at St. Paul.
Meanwhile, new addition Michael Soroka was set to make his Cubs debut on Monday against the Reds. Taillon admitted he'd rather not return to the minor leagues, but acknowledged the big picture.
“I don't help the team if I don't come back sharp,” he said. “So I think the key is tighten things up, get really sharp while I'm down there and come back when I'm ready.
“When I'm back, like, we're in a pennant race, we have the playoffs coming up. I'm pretty aware of all that, so I need to come back ready to help, not just to come back.”
PCA gets a rest
Pete Crow-Armstrong was not in Monday's starting lineup as manager Craig Counsell utilized newcomer Willi Castro in center field for the first time.
“This is just kind of a function of not swinging the bat great and a tough left-hander (Nick Lodolo) on the mound,” Counsell said. “So those two things.”
Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-12 in the Baltimore series, but had 4 hits against Milwaukee before that, so this hasn't been a prolonged slump. Castro started at six different positions for Minnesota this season and this was his third different spot since joining the Cubs. He's also started at second and third base, and went 3-for-8 at the plate in his first two Cubs starts.
“This is a big reason why we thought (Castro) was a good fit on the team,” Counsell said. “I think Willi, just his versatility and the switch-hitter, there's always a place where he fits, and that's a really good feeling.”
Around the horn
Catcher Miguel Amaya (oblique strain) has hit .250 in his first five appearances of a rehab assignment in Iowa. … Pitcher Javier Assad (oblique strain) gave up 1 earned run in 3 2/3 innings last Wednesday for Iowa. …
There are plenty of pitchers with big-league experience playing for the I-Cubs. Taillon was followed to the mound Sunday by Luke Little, Porter Hodge, Ethan Roberts, Keegan Thompson and Tyson Miller. …
According to Marquee's Chris Kamka, Justin Turner, 40, was the oldest player to hit a walk-off home run for the Cubs since Davey Lopes, 41, in 1986. …
Grant High School grad Ryan Noda set the stage for Turner's heroics when he drove in Sunday's tying run for the Orioles as a pinch-hitter with two outs in the top of the ninth against Daniel Palencia. Noda was claimed off waivers from the White Sox a few days ago.