WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:
No team notes available.
CHICACGO CUBS NOTES:
Cubs vs. Nationals
The Cubs and Nationals play seven games spanning two series this season … the teams faced off May 1-4 at Washington, with the Nationals taking three of the four games … Chicago has won the last two season series against the Nationals, going 4-3 in 2021 and 4-2 in 2022.
GETTING NATIONAL ATTENTION: The Chicago Cubs today play the second of three games against the Washington Nationals … the Cubs yesterday lost the series opener 7-5 … Drew Smyly suffered his third-straight loss, throwing 6.0 innings for the first time since June 14 … Ian Happ and Patrick Wisdom both blasted two-run home runs … Wisdom’s homer was his second in as many games with an at-bat and Happ’s long ball in the sixth inning snapped a 16-game, 0-for-59 homerless stretch … Christopher Morel brought in the Cubs only other run with a RBI single in the second inning.
© Prior to dropping their last three Wrigley Field series, the Cubs had won three-consecutive Wrigley Field series (May 29-31 vs. TB, 2-1; June 13-15 vs. PIT, 3-0;
June 16-18 vs. BAL, 2-1).
© This is the fifth of a 10-game homestand vs. Boston (1-2), Washington (0-1) and St. Louis (four games beginning Thursday).
© Chicago finished the “first half” with a 42-47 record … the team was 35-57 in the “first half” of 2022.
© The Cubs are 5-6 in their last 11 games and 6-12 in their last 18 contests since June 25 following a stretch in which it went 11-2 in 13 games from June 9-24.
© The Cubs are the only N.L. Central Division club with a positive run differential (+19) … Pittsburgh is at -65, St. Louis -26, Cincinnati -14 and Milwaukee -8.
TAILLON TAKES HIS TURN: Jameson Taillon takes the bump tonight, coming off his best outing of the season, July 7 at the Yankees (8.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 SO) … Taillon in his career against the Nationals has a 3.8% walk rate and a 6.00 strikout to walk ratio … among active starters, his strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks second and his walk-rate rank third.
THAT’S A LOADED STATEMENT: In the team’s 20 games since June 11, the Cubs are batting .500 (11-for-22) with one home run, three walks, 30 RBI and a .536 OBP with the bases loaded … in the team’s previous 20 games from May 1-June 10, the Cubs were hitting .125 (3-for-24) with three men on.
The Cubs .536 OBP with the bases loaded paces the majors in that span … Chicago also ranks second in the majors in runs scored (32) and RBI (30), third in average (first in the N.L.) and OPS (1.172), and its .636 slugging ranks sixth in the majors, second in the N.L., since June 11.
Nico Hoerner leads the team with five RBI in the stretch.
BELLI AT BAT: Cody Bellinger in 25 games since being reinstated from the injured list on June 15 (left knee contusion) has batted .360 (32-for-89) with 20 runs, four doubles, five home runs, 15 RBI and an .971 OPS … he has a 7.1% walk rate and 15.3% strikeout rate in this span.
Bellinger enjoyed a career-high 13-game hitting streak from June 24-July 7, a stretch in which he hit .479 (23-for-48) with three doubles, two homers, seven RBI and a 1.167 OPS.
Bellinger owns a .429 average (30-for-70) since June 24, the best mark in the majors in that span … his .461 OBP ranks fourth and his 1.146 OPS is seventh in the majors during the stretch … Bellinger has five blasts in his last eight games, including three July 15-16.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR … OUTFIELDER: Ian Happ tallied his eighth outfield assist of the season Sunday against the Red Sox, tying his career high from last season … his 16 outfield assists since the start of 2022 rank tied for the N.L. lead and tied for sixth-most in the majors in that span.
Happ’s latest assist came in the team’s 92nd game … he is the first Cub since Kyle Schwarber in 2018 to record eight outfield assists by team game no. 92 and just the third since 2000 (also Alfonso Soriano in 2007).
He is one of seven players in the majors and one of three in the N.L. with at least eight outfield assists this season … Alex Verdugo of Boston and Adolis García of Texas are tied for the league lead with 10 outfield assists, and Fernando Tatis Jr. leads the N.L. with nine.
HIGH FIVE: Mike Tauchman Sunday reached base five times, going 2-for-2 with three walks, for the first time in his career … his previous high was four times (1-1, BB) Aug. 10, 2019 … Tauchman’s feat was the sixth such instance for the Cubs this season (also Seiya Suzuki, twice; Ian Happ, twice; and Cody Bellinger) … Chicago’s six batters to have reached base at least five times in a game are third-most in the majors behind the Mets (8) and the Astros (7).
Tauchman is also the sixth Cub to tally three walks in a game this season, joining Ian Happ (2), Trey Mancini, Miles Mastrobuoni, Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson (2).
THE MOREL OF THE STORY: Including hits in each of the last four games, Christopher Morel has hit .298 (14-for-47) with three doubles, a homer, seven RBI and seven runs scored in his last 12 games since July 2 … he has tallied an RBI in three-straight games.
Since he was recalled by Chicago May 9, Morel is seventh in the N.L. with 40 RBI, ninth with a .556 slugging mark, and tied for ninth with 15 home runs.
PESKY AT THE PLATE: Cubs batters are averaging 4.06 pitches per plate appearance, the highest rate in the majors ahead of Milwaukee (4.02) and San Diego (3.98) … can Happ’s 4.33 pitches per plate appearance rank fifth in the majors among qualified hitters … Seiya Suzuki’s 4.27 mark ranks ninth.
Nico Hoerner’s 12.2% swing-and-miss rate is the third-lowest in the majors among qualified hitters behind only the Marlins’ Luis Arraez (7.9%) and Cleveland’s Steven Kwan (11.4%).
Starting Pitcher – #50 RHP Jameson Taillon (3-6, 6.15)
Last Time Out
Jameson earned the win July 7 at Yankee Stadium, tossing 8.0 scoreless innings … was the first pitcher with at least 8.0 innings and one or fewer hits allowed on the road at Yankee Stadium since Baltimore’s Daniel Cabrera did so in 2006 … was also the first former Yankee to go a least 8.0 frames and allow no more than one hit in a game at Yankee Stadium (old or new) … the outing marked his second scoreless start of the year (also April 15 at Dodgers) … marked the third instance this season in which a Cubs starter has tossed at least 8.0 scoreless innings (also Stroman – May 29 vs. Tampa Bay; Hendricks – June 10 at San Francisco).
Date Opp. Result IP H R ER BB SO PC-S Left
7/7 @NYY W, 3-0 8.0 1 0 0 2 4 102-64 3-0
2023 Splits and Season Notes
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
Home 1-4 7.41 8 8 37.2 51 34 31 10 38
Road 2-2 4.76 7 7 34.0 27 20 18 12 25
AVG vs. LHB: .293 (41-for-140) / AVG vs. RHB: .257 (37-for-144)
Jameson will make his 16th start of the 2023 season today, his ninth at Wrigley Field … since June 2, is 3-3 with a 4.69 ERA (21 ER/40.1 IP) in seven starts after beginning the season 0-3 with an 8.04 ERA (28 ER/31.1 IP) in his first eight outings … has pitched to a 7.41 ERA (31 ER/37.2 IP) in eight starts at Wrigley Field, compared to a 4.76 ERA (18 ER/34.0 IP) in seven starts on the road … has walked 22 batters, the fourth-lowest mark among N.L. starters (min. 15 GS) … has walked two or fewer in 13 of his 15 starts this season.
Tossed 8.0, one-hit, scoreless innings in a 3-0 win July 7 at Yankee Stadium … was the first pitcher with at least 8.0 innings and one or fewer hits allowed on the road at Yankee Stadium since Baltimore’s Daniel Cabrera did so in 2006 … was also the first former Yankee to go a least 8.0 frames and allow no more than one hit in a game at Yankee Stadium (old or new).
Made his first quality start as a Cub June 13 vs. Pittsburgh (3 ER/6.0 IP).
Earned his first win as a Cub June 2 in San Diego (1 ER/5.2 IP) … had previously gone eight-straight starts without a win, the third time in his career that he had failed to win in at least eight-straight starts in the same season (last 9 G, April 14-May 27, 2018).
Walked two or fewer batters in 16-straight starts from Aug. 14, 2022-May 9, 2023 … at the time, marked the fifth-longest active streak among major league starting pitchers.
Began his stint on the 15-day injured list April 20 (retroactive to April 17) with a left groin strain … was activated on May 4.
Went 2-0 with a 3.93 ERA (8 ER/18.1 IP) with 23 strikeouts, compared to no walks, during Spring Training … was the only pitcher in the Cactus League with at least 10.0 IP to not walk a batter.
