Jameson Taillon blanks former club, paves way for Cubs win over Pirates

Noah Hiles, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sep 15, 2025

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — When the Pirates drafted Jameson Taillon second overall in the 2010 draft, they likely hoped he’d one day pitch meaningful late-season games at PNC Park. That was indeed the case Monday evening, just for the wrong team.

Taillon helped his club get another step closer to the postseason, throwing six scoreless frames to pave the way for a 4-0 Cubs victory over the Pirates. The loss officially eliminated Don Kelly’s club from playoff contention.

Bryan Reynolds tallied the Pirates’ first hit of the evening with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. Their next knock didn’t come until the bottom of the sixth, Taillon’s last frame of the evening. Taillon walked a pair of batters between those two hits, but neither mistake led to a legitimate scoring opportunity. Simply put, the Pirates looked overmatched when he was on the mound.

The Cubs gave Taillon a lead in the top of the third inning. Michael Busch generated the game’s first run with a solo homer to center field. Nico Hoerner doubled Chicago’s lead later that inning, scoring on a wild pitch.

Both of those runs were surrendered by Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft, the game’s losing pitcher. He allowed one more tally, which came in the fourth inning, after Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson tagged him for back-to-back doubles. Crow-Armstrong struck again later in the game, mashing a solo homer off Cam Sanders to make it 4-0.

Relievers Michael Soroka, Porter Hodge and Brad Keller finished Taillon’s shutout. The loss marked the 16th time the Pirates were held scoreless this year, tying the Rockies for the most in MLB.

It was over when …

Swanson doubled home Crow-Armstrong to make it 3-0. While the Cubs only needed one run to win Monday evening, a three-run lead with Taillon on the mound was certainly too much for the Pirates struggling offense to overcome.

On the mound

Ashcraft, a rookie on a known innings limit, was pulled after four frames. Sanders took over to start the bottom of the fifth, allowing just the solo homer over 1 2/3 innings of work. Kyle Nicolas followed, covering two scoreless frames. Dauri Moreta finished the game, recording the final four outs without allowing any additional damage.

At the plate

Once again, the offense looked lifeless. No Pirate advanced past second base until the bottom of the ninth.

That scoring chance started with a one-out single from Nick Gonzales and was followed by a walk by Jack Suwinski. Pinch-hitter Oneil Cruz moved both runners into scoring position with a groundout. Nick Yorke then walked to load the bases, bringing Jared Triolo, the game’s tying run to the plate.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell called upon Brad Keller to get the game’s final out. His decision proved to be the right one, as Keller only needed four pitches to strike Triolo out to secure the win. The Pirates finished the game with only three hits. Reynolds was their most productive hitter, reaching base safely three times, tallying a single, a walk and getting hit by a pitch.

Most valuable player

Taillon, who blanked his former team en route to a Cubs win.

Up next

The Pirates and Cubs will continue their three-game series Tuesday at PNC Park. Paul Skenes (10-9, 1.92) will face Cade Horton (10-4, 2.70) on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.

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