The Cubs lost to the Orioles 6-3 on Sunday, but they were set up for success after a phenomenal inning from Mike Tauchman.
First, Tauchman kept the O’s off the board by throwing a dart from center field to assist on an inning-ending play at the plate. Then, Tauchman took the first pitch of the game from Baltimore starter Dean Kremer and deposited it into the left-field stands for a solo home run.
“That’s just like one of the baseball god things,” said Cubs starter Jameson Taillon. “You make a sick play to end an inning. You lead off the next inning with a big hit or a homer.”
“The effortー I don’t even know if it’s noon yet and he’s diving for balls in the outfield after playing pretty consistently for us,” said manager David Ross.
“I asked him what he had for breakfast because I needed that kind of energy this morning.”
The start was especially sweet for Tauchman because he hails from Palatine and grew up a Cubs fan. The homer was his first as a North Sider.
Tauchman has been a revelation since the Cubs called him up in May to replace the injured Cody Bellinger.
In 27 games this year, he’s hitting .282/.408/.767 with 10 RBI, 13 runs and three stolen bases. That type of play encouraged the Cubs to keep Tauchman on the roster, even when Bellinger returned from the injured list. The team opted to send Matt Mervis to Triple-A Iowa instead.
“(Tauchman)’s done a really nice job for us filling in for Bellie,” said Ross. “He’s just a good ballplayer… it’s been really a joy to watch him play consistently.”
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