Before his start Sunday, rookie right-hander Jameson Taillon sat down for a pregame strategy session with pitching coach Ray Searage and catcher Elias Diaz. For the first time in his brief big-league career, Taillon spoke first. This is what I’ve seen, he told them, and this is what I like.
Taillon had watched the Philadelphia Phillies closely over the previous two games in the series. He’d noticed batters champing at the bit to swing early against right-hander Gerrit Cole, whose fastball is a tick or two faster than Taillon’s. And Taillon presumed they would try the same against him.