I may have included “Well, throw that one out…” in last night’s EBS, but this morning I’m still thinking plenty about the Cubs’ 8-3 loss to the White Sox and how poorly Jameson Taillon pitched.
That sour taste can mostly be extinguished today with a series-deciding win on the southside, but it’s going to take a better outing from Colin Rea than last time he was on the bump, so here’s to a white-knuckle Sunday of baseball.
"The game's telling me it's not good enough. Need to be better. Just gotta find a way to punch back and make that adjustment."Jameson Taillon on his start. pic.twitter.com/vwgCmdDbDz
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 17, 2026 Yes, I agree with Jameson that he’s not executing well enough versus lefties, but more broadly, it just doesn’t look like he’s hitting his spots frequently enough. Taking a look at his baseball savant page, the stats indicate control problems, with a career-high 8.1% walk rate. He’s also allowed 22 barrels this season after allowing just 32 all of last season, and his xSLG is .516 (in the bottom 6% of MLB). Those on the Cubs staff paid to fix Taillon have forgotten more baseball than I’ll ever know, but again, I don’t see the issue(s) for JMo strictly being related to left-handed hitters. Yes, lefties are crushing him, but righty Miguel Vargas also took him deep last night. Be it injury or poor performance, there’s been more to overcome for the Cubs’ pitching staff this season than anyone would have predicted. As a result, the universe has to start balancing things out at some point, right? Right!? Well, Taylor McGregor said during last night’s game that lefty reliever Caleb Thielbar could be activated as soon as today, so thanks, universe. Thielbar made a rehab appearance at High-A South Bend last night and entered the game with a “comfortable” lead. Thielbar ended up working a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out two.Caleb Thielbar is gonna get the bottom of the 8th for South Bend in his rehab outing.He’ll enter with a 21-2 lead.
— Greg Huss (@OutOfTheVines) May 16, 2026 We shared the positive news of Matthew Boyd’s rehab from meniscus surgery in yesterday’s bullets. Meanwhile, Ethan Roberts had another impressive relief appearance last night in what was his third scoreless outing since returning from the IL. Two of the three appearances have covered two innings, and I’ll admit that I’m not ruling out a late bloomer situation here with the 28-year-old. I’ll stop short of saying he’s on a path to be an 8th or 9th inning lockdown reliever, but he’s beginning to look capable of high-leverage work, and we’re well aware of the Cubs’ need for just that. And if you’re looking for more on Roberts, Jacob wrote about him on Thursday, so be sure to give that a read if you haven’t already. After a Setback From a Freak Injury, Ethan Roberts Is Finding His Footing in the Cubs’ Bullpen While Taillon’s struggles in Saturday night’s loss dominated the conversation, my brain also made a point to wonder about Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, who have largely been somewhere between 3rd and 5th in Craig Counsell’s batting orders this season. So, I got to looking, and the numbers are not good with runners in scoring position. Happ is batting .156 (7-for-45), while Suzuki is batting .114 (4-for-35). These two are counted on to be guys in the lineup who come through with runners on, so do you move them elsewhere in the order for a while, hoping they come out of it? Or, keep them in their usual spots and trust the “back of the baseball card” to prove itself out? That South Bend Cubs game Caleb Thielbar made a rehab appearance in last night? The Cubs wound up winning it 24-4 against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Kane Kepley going 4-for-7 with 5 RBI was a small sample of the box score fun to look at.HELLO FIRST PLACE ?RECAP ⬇️ t.co/8HgtBvh1bK
— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) May 17, 2026 In other farm system news, Jordan Wicks will not be immediately joining the big league roster after completing his rehab at Triple-A.#Cubs LHP Jordan Wicks reinstated from the injured list and optioned to Triple A Iowa.
— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 16, 2026 The Iowa Cubs suffered a 12-1 loss last night, but Pedro Ramirez flashed the leather with this web gem.This Pedro Ramirez web gem is your @GreatClips Clip of the game! pic.twitter.com/xw54kVU6aJ
— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) May 17, 2026 If Ramirez’s diving stop was great, then this is nothing short of spectacular from Double-A catcher Owen Ayers.You need to see this ridiculous catch-and-throw by Owen Ayers tonight.H/t @ballskwok pic.twitter.com/7o0gBU4ijW
— Greg Huss (@OutOfTheVines) May 17, 2026 80-grade tweet.IT'S THE UNDERTAKER pic.twitter.com/6W7xvOkfTc
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) May 17, 2026MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
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