PIRATES 7-GAME WINNING STREAK AGAINST REDS ENDS IN 3-0 LOSS

TAILLON HEADS INTO '19 WITH STINGY STREAK INTACT

Jameson Taillon didn't have to start Saturday's game. After he beat the Cubs on Monday at Wrigley Field, Pirates management gave him the option to call it a season. But Taillon decided he wasn't done. He wanted the ball again. He still had something to prove.

So Taillon took the mound on Saturday at Great American Ball Park and finished his breakout campaign with another quality start in the Pirates' 3-0 loss to the Reds. Taillon's final outing of the year was also his 22nd straight allowing three earned runs or fewer, a streak surpassed this season only by Mets ace Jacob deGrom.

Set back in the Minors by Tommy John surgery and by testicular cancer last year, Taillon went wire-to-wire in the Pirates' rotation for the first time in his young career. He posted a 3.20 ERA and struck out 179 batters in 191 innings over 32 outings, including 20 quality starts. He has the ninth-best ERA among qualified National League starters, standing two spots behind teammate Trevor Williams (3.11).

The Pirates always knew Taillon had top-of-the-rotation ability. Manager Clint Hurdle remembered hearing about Taillon's potential from the Pirates' scouts, and later he watched the righty pitch for Team Canada against Team USA during the 2013 World Baseball Classic. All along, they believed Taillon could be the pitcher he turned into this season.

Taillon's equally impressive makeup became apparent as he overcame adversity that might have derailed others' careers. When he struggled through two starts in late April, Taillon sought a better understanding of his strengths and weaknesses. He learned more about sequencing his pitches, how to manage lineups, and how to control his emotions on the mound.

The Reds scored enough to beat Taillon, as the Bucs were held scoreless a day after putting up eight runs. Giving up three runs total in the third and fourth put Taillon's streak in jeopardy, but he returned to pitch the fifth and sixth, and he retired all six batters he faced.

Over the last few weeks, Taillon said, he's been "tricking" himself into believing his body is as fresh as it was on Opening Day despite the biggest workload of his career. He did it again before the sixth, knowing it was his final inning until 2019, and his last pitches of the season showed his evolution into a more complete pitcher this year.

Taillon's first pitch to Tucker Barnhart was a fastball above the strike zone, a weapon he implemented this spring to counter the launch-angle revolution. He evened the count with a slider, a pitch he introduced in May to provide another offering between his fastball and curveball. He got Barnhart to swing and miss at another slider, then fired a low, 96.9-mph fastball for strike three.

MOMENT THAT MATTERED

Mr. .300: Corey Dickerson knocked a single to left field in the sixth inning, bringing his batting average to exactly .300 for the season. He played two more innings in left field, then Jose Osuna replaced him as a pinch-hitter. Dickerson will end the season with a .300 average, the first qualified Pirates player to do so since Starling Marte batted .311 in 2016.

Dickerson will head into the offseason having accomplished his two main goals for the season. He cut his strikeout total nearly in half, from 152 to 80, and he proved himself as an above-average -- Gold Glove Award-worthy, even -- left fielder.

TRAINER’S ROOM

PIRATES: Right fielder Adam Frazier left in the fourth inning with a tight right hamstring. Shortstop Jordy Mercer left in the fifth with a sore right forearm.

REDS: Scooter Gennett was out of the lineup with a sore right biceps. Gennett leads the NL in three-hit games and ranks fourth with a .310 batting average. “It’s nothing serious, but with where we are in the season, it would be stupid to go out and make it worse,” Gennett said.

UP NEXT

PIRATES: Manager Clint Hurdle was waiting until after Saturday’s game to decide his pitching plans for the final game of the season.

REDS: Sal Romano (8-11) has divided time between the bullpen and rotation. He makes his 25th start after 12 straight relief appearances.