Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/7/23): Cubs 3, Yankees 0 – The Jameson Taillon Revenge Game

Almost out of nowhere, the Cubs got a tremendous pitching performance from their most disappointing starter. Jameson Taillon pitched a gem and his team was able to walk away with a shutout and their first ever win at Yankee Stadium Friday night.

Cody Bellinger continued to stay red hot, giving Chicago the lead on a long solo home run to the upper deck in right field against Carlos Rodón in the top of the 3rd inning. Taillon gave up a single to the second hitter of the game and that was the last hit he allowed the rest of the night Friday.

Belli 💣 in the Bronx and Rossy on the call! pic.twitter.com/ZbHuZ0ue9J

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 7, 2023

Nico Hoerner singled home Trey Mancini in the 5th inning to double the Cubs’ advantage. Bellinger singled in the 7th, stole second, and scored on a much-needed double from the struggling Patrick Wisdom to put the road team up 3-0.

That was plenty for Chicago’s starter, as Taillon breezed through eight innings with only three men reaching base. Adbert Alzolay gave up a leadoff single in the 9th but that was quickly erased by a double play and he earned the save. (Box score)

Key Moment

The insurance runs the Cubs added in the 5th and the 7th innings were huge and took some pressure off of Taillon. The efficient effort allowed David Ross to ride his pitcher into the 8th and mostly avoid the recently shaky bullpen.

Why the Cubs Won

It turns out you can’t lose a baseball game if you don’t give up any runs. They took advantage of a couple opportunities with runners on base while the Yankees never even got anyone into scoring position.

Stats That Matter

• The Cubs got the version of Taillon they were hoping for when they signed him: 8 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 4 K, and 2 BB.
• Bellinger reached base three more times and has been on seven times the last two days.
• Hoerner had two knocks and handled shortstop perfectly in place of the banged-up Dansby Swanson.
• This was the Cubs’ first-ever win at Yankee Stadium, old or new version.

Bottom Line

That was an incredibly encouraging performance by Taillon, which shows he has the ability to be a very good starting pitcher. The Yankees’ offensive struggles definitely helped but it’s still by far the best he has looked for the Cubs. They really don’t need that from him every start, they just need him to give them a solid six innings. Hopefully, this effort will be a launchpad to a good second half for the big right-hander.

On Deck

Game two of the series is a matinee Saturday at 12:05pm CT. Drew Smyly takes the mound against Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole in a contest available on MLB Network (out of market only), Marquee, and 670 The Score.