The Rundown: Taillon Testing Patience, Suzuki Slugs Exhibition HR, Skenes Pumped for Different Kind of Service

Let’s all open by repeating the following mantra: Spring training results don’t matter. Good, now do it again and again until you believe it. Even those who maintain a proper perspective when watching spring games aren’t immune to getting a little squirrely when the stats stay ugly as the sample grows. That’s the case with Jameson Taillon, who has now given up six homers and 13 earned runs with four strikeouts and three walks in Cactus League action.

What matters far more than giving up six runs on Monday afternoon is getting up to 53 pitches after being at 34 and 32 in his first two starts. That will be his last for the Cubs until Team Canada has been eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, as Taillon will be wearing a maple leaf on his uniform for the next two weeks. Though he was born and raised in Texas, Taillon’s parents are native hosers.

“I’m doing it more to honor my family and what Canada means to my family, and how great it’s been to us,” Taillon told Maddie Lee of the Sun-Times. “I still want to win and stuff, but I think helping Canada grow baseball is also a big deal.”

Taillon’s maternal grandparents escaped Hungary after World War II, and his grandmother, Agnes Kormendy, preserved that family history in a book. The righty pitched for Canada 13 years ago in that WBC, but his own perspective has shifted since he was a 21-year-old Pirates prospect. Still, he knows that it isn’t just about showing up and celebrating family history.

Taillon has to prove these early results aren’t indicative of a swan song this season, and he’ll get a chance when Canada faces Panama on Sunday.

“I wish I was throwing better going into it, but honestly, I think it could be good,” Taillon admitted. “A little change of scenery — get out of Arizona, go compete.”

Suzuki Slugs, Skenes Serves in Different Way

The Cubs could have used Seiya Suzuki, who is back in Japan prepping for the World Baseball Classic. Just like the US-based participants, they’re scrimmaging against local squads to stay sharp. Suzuki picked up right where he left off with the Cubs, blasting a monster home run against the Hanshin Tigers to give his team an early lead.

鈴木誠也　打った瞬間確信のソロホームラン
新しいパフォーマンスも披露 pic.twitter.com/lLnLxJXZth

— Shifttrr (@Shifttrr) March 3, 2026

What I love most about the WBC is how it gives us meaningful baseball at a time when most games can and should be forgotten as soon as they’re over. It’s not about wrapping up quickly so you can get in 18 holes, though I certainly don’t begrudge the players for wanting to do so during spring training. Even though these participants all made their decisions a while ago, I have to think the recently-concluded Winter Olympics got some of them a little more fired up.

Like Paul Skenes, who initially planned on flying planes when he was under-recruited out of high school as a mashing catcher. It’s not like Skenes wasn’t on anyone’s radar, as he was playing for Team USA’s 12U squad with Pete Crow-Armstrong back in the day. In fact, Skenes was behind the plate when PCA and Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn combined to no-hit their opponents during a game in Mazatlan, Mexico.

Though I maintain quite a bit of skepticism about how baseball talent is identified and fostered these days, I have to say they did a decent job of finding some dudes. Still, Skenes wasn’t being viewed as someone who would go on to become the best right-handed pitcher on the planet. His original choice of vocation was a big factor in his decision to wear the Team USA uniform again.

“First of all, I care because I’m from America, I love America,” Skenes told MLB Network. “I’ve seen the WBCs in the past, and there’s no bigger stage or no greater honor than wearing USA across your chest. I think another one is I went to the Air Force Academy for two years.

“Wanted to serve, I was fully intending on serving, ended up transferring out to LSU and won a national championship there and did some cool stuff there. There was a big part of me that was fully intent on serving in the military as a career after college. So this is, it’s not serving, but it’s a pretty close second.”

More News and Notes

• The Cubs are facing Team Italy with Cade Horton on the bump, but the game won’t be broadcast in any form.
• This will be the first time in recent memory that the beef wasn’t the most Italian thing about a Cubs home game.
• Team USA officially begins WBC action on Friday against Brazil. Logan Webb is expected to start, followed by Tarik Skubal, Skenes, and Nolan McLean.
• As previously noted, Skubal’s start against Great Britain will be his only WBC appearance before returning to Tigers camp. Per Bob Nightengale, he’s expected to throw around 55 pitches.
• This feels very much like the calm before the storm, with everything building toward the WBC. College baseball is also heating up, and most high schools should be active by the end of the month.
• Our training facility has been packed with talent each of the last two weekends as kids from all over the state gather to participate in live ABs. Even though some of their schools are loaded with talent, you can’t replicate the energy from competing against top players from other schools.
• Just off the top of my head, last Saturday featured commits from Tennessee, TCU, Notre Dame, IU, Dayton, Bellarmine, plus a number of D3, NAIA, and juco guys. If you can hold your own in that crowd, you’ll be fine against “normal” prep players.
• Ian Happ was candid with Bruce Levine when speaking about what could be his final season in Chicago. The career-long Cub would prefer to stay, but he knows things don’t always work out the way you’d like.
• “It’s been a true honor for me to represent this great city, organization, and fan base. The reality of this is you can’t control if the team wants you back. It’s totally plausible another chapter elsewhere awaits me.”

Trailer Time

I’ll let you know right off the top that this flick could be seen as a little corny, but I’m sharing it because it’s written, directed, produced by, and starring the legendary Bruce Campbell. Per the trailer’s description, Ernie & Emma is a poignant road-trip comedy about grief, love, and rediscovering life after loss. When widowed pear salesman Ernie Tyler sets out to fulfill his late wife Emma’s very specific instructions for her ashes, his quiet routine gives way to a series of reflective—and frequently kooky—adventures across the lush landscapes of Oregon. Tender, funny, and gently offbeat, this is a story about learning how to keep going when the person you lived for is gone.

The topic is particularly timely because Campbell announced via social media last night that he’s taking a break from his normal slate of appearances to prioritize treatment for a type of cancer that is merely treatable rather than curable. He delivered the news in his typical deadpan fashion, telling fans that he is “a tough old son-of-a-bitch” who expects to stick around for a while longer.

Here’s to hoping Bruce treats cancer like an army of Deadites.