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2 min read

Cub of Coffee 4/29/24: Cubs 3, Mets 1

The Cubs stole this one in electrifying fashion, and it felt like they needed it.

Jameson Taillon likes New York
Jameson Taillon has now made three starts in New York as a Cub:

  • 8IP, 1H, 0R, 2BB, 4K @ NYY 7/7/23
  • 7IP, 3H, 2R, 0BB, 7K @ NYM 8/8/23
  • And tonight, 7.1IP, 4H, 1R, 1BB, 1K

In all, that's 22.1IP, 8H, 3R, 3BB, 12K for a 1.21 ERA. Taillon wasn't dominant tonight strikeouts-wise, but he was efficient and didn't allow a ton of hard contact. His fastball didn't have as much run as it has at points this year either, which was a problem last year. Taillon hasn't been an ace, but he has been able to stabilize the Cubs' rotation just when they needed it.

Splitters all around
Although Taillon didn't throw any, the Cubs' two relievers in this game combined to throw 20 splitters in 32 pitches. I wonder if there could be any risk of a familiarity effect if the same batters see either of them multiple times in the same series. Héctor Neris is really leaning on his splitter this year as his fastball velocity has declined from last year. He got two strikeouts when he needed to tonight, but watching Neris close is still not an enjoyable experience. It seems like he'll continue to get the righty-heavy save opportunities for now, so hopefully he can keep getting results while improving the underlying stats.

Offensive slump continues
Any lineup looks worse missing its two best players, and the Cubs' is no exception. If Christopher Morel could go on a hot streak, it would be huge. He hasn't hit the ball as poorly as it seems (a .305 xWOBA compared to a .244 wOBA over the last two weeks), but he hasn't been nearly as unstoppable as he was to start the year. Morel still looks like he's made serious improvements over last year, however, and he didn't strike out tonight before hitting the game-winning home run. The Cubs will need to keep winning games it feels like they shouldn't during this stretch of injuries, and moments like Morel's tonight are a good reminder of that.

That was the last in a series of difficult pitching matchups the Cubs have faced over the last four games, though tomorrow's starter Sean Manaea has been good this year. They have a good opportunity to build some momentum heading into an important series with the Brewers this weekend.