Taillon Torn Apart in Return to PNC Park. Pittsburgh 5 NY 2

July 6, 2022 paperbacklou 2022 0

Jameson Taillon was torn apart in his return to PNC Park in Pittsburgh, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits in 5.1 innings in the Pirates’ 5-2 victory over the Yanks. His ERA is now over 6.00 since the Perfect Game he pitched into the 8th inning a month ago on June 2nd.

Taillon, however, said afterwards he feels fine — he said he’s just missing on his location — something that happens over the course of a season.

NY was stifled by Jose Quintana and the Pirates bullpen.

The Yankees had their chances — they outhit the Pirates 10-9. But as Aaron Boone said last week, “baseball is a scoring contest, not a hitting contest.”

The loss was the Yankees’ 2nd in a row — they are now 58-23 for a .716 winning percentage — 13 games ahead of Boston, 14 ahead of Tampa, and 14.5 ahead of Toronto in the AL East.

The Pirates improved to 33-47.

On a beautiful, warm early July Monday night in Pittsburgh.

1. Taillon Shredded

Jameson Taillon was traded by the Pirates to the Yankees on January 24, 2021 for Miguel Yajure, Roansy Contreras, Canaan Smith-Njigba, and and Maikol Escotto. Taillon didn’t ask to be traded, nor did he sign with Yankees as a free agent.

So this wasn’t a game where Pirates fans should have been booing Taillon, or the Pirates in any way trying to seek revenge on him — Taillon should have been seeking revenge on the Pirates organization for trading him away; although one would assume he was A-OK with being traded to the Yankees.

With Taillon’s impressive 9-1 3.32 record coming in and the Pirates 32-47 record — the Yankees were the clear favorites.

Taillon was helped in the bottom of the 1st by that terrific Yankee infield defense — this time DJ LeMahieu at 1st base making a slick play for the final out of the inning.

But it all started going South in the bottom of the 2nd, when Pirate 1st baseman Daniel Vogelbach hit Taillon’s 96-MPH four-seam fastball for a 392-foot homer to right and a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead.

Taillon pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd but in the 4th, a leadoff double by Bryan Reynolds and homer by rookie Jack Suwinski made it 3-0 Pittsburgh. 

Suwinski has a slash line of 14-25-.227 (.312) — not exactly Rookie of the Year numbers but he does hit a lot of homers.

An out later Yoshitomo Tsutsugo singled and former Yankee farmhand Ben Gamel doubled him home. Pittsburgh 4 NY 0.

2. Quintana Danced Around Yankee Hitters

Quintana allowed 6 hits in 5 innings just like Taillon — but he limited the damage aka didn’t allow any homeruns.

In the top of the 3rd, outfielder Bryan Reynolds helped Quintana out by Robbing Giancarlo Stanton of a 2-RBI single with 2 outs — sprinting in and making a diving catch for the final out of the inning.

Finally, in the top of the 5th, the Yanks got their first run off an Isiah Kiner-Falefa 1-out double, and an Aaron Judge RBI single. Pittsburgh 4 NY 1.

3. Yanks Couldn’t Quite Mount Comeback

Taillon left in the bottom of the 6th with a runner on, and Lucas Luetge allowed that runner to come around on a Tsutsugo single and sac fly by Oniel Cruz. Pittsburgh 5 NY 1.

But the Yanks kept trying to get back in it.

In the 7th, the Yanks put 2 runners on with 1 out — an Aaron Judge homer away from being back in the game — but Judge grounded into an inning-ending double play.

In the 8th, Gleyber Torres led off with a walk and came around on a 2-out single by Matt Carpenter to make it 5-2.

The Yanks were a bloop and a blast away. But Aaron Hicks struck out.

In the 9th, Kiner-Falefa got a 1-out single, and the Yanks were a bloop and a blast away again — but DJ LeMahieu grounded out and Judge struck out for the old ballgame.

4. Chapman Pitched Great

Some good news for the Yanks: Aroldis Chapman pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 8th — groundout, groundout, fly out. He was throwing 100-MPH fastballs.

“He wasn’t pitching well because he wasn’t feeling well; he was injured with the achilles,” offered Suzyn Waldman on the radio.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/playbyplay/_/gameId/401355442

 

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