50 Jameson Taillon SP

Taillon (7-5) allowed two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win Friday against the Blue Jays.

Taillon gave up single runs in the second and third innings, but otherwise kept the Jays' bats silent, as he earned his seventh win of the year. Although he owns a 4.50 ERA, he's recovered from a pair of horrible outings, as he's held opponents to two runs in each of his past two starts. Assuming he's gotten past the issues that plagued him recently, he appears back to being a solid fantasy option. He'll make his next start Thursday against the Cardinals.

Taillon allowed two runs on five hits and two walks across 6.1 innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Padres. He struck out eight.

Taillon got off to a bumpy start by allowing two runs on two, hits, a walk and a wild pitch in the first inning. He settled down masterfully after that point, however, and allowed just four baserunners over the next five frames. Taillon was in line to earn his seventh victory when he departed, but a blow save by Felipe Rivero sent that opportunity by the wayside. This was a nice bounce-back performance after the 25-year-old allowed a whopping 17 earned runs over his previous 6.2 innings, and he will look to build on this effort Friday against the Blue Jays.

Pittsburgh trainer Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Taillon, who has struggled in four post All-Star break starts, is not dealing with any health problems. "Absolutely not," Tomczyk told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "This guy's mental fortitude ... he sets the standard. I think you see a young pitcher just wanting to win. He's competing his butt off."

It's not unusual for a young pitcher to suffer from fatigue late in the season, but Tomczyk noted that Taillon's velocity has remained consistent despite his struggles. In the 25-year-old's start July 25 in San Francisco, replays showed Taillon pitching with what appeared to be a discolored and bruised middle finger on his right hand, but the team has made no mention of that ailment as a stumbling block.

Taillon allowed eight earned runs on 11 hits and one walk in 3.2 innings Tuesday. He struck out three batters.

He's surrendered 23 runs in his last four starts, throwing a whopping 360 pitches in 17 innings. Taillon's fastball velocity Tuesday (95.5 mph) nearly mirrors his season average (95.6), but opposing batters look comfortable and appear to know what's coming. The 25-year-old has battled through testicular cancer and undergone numerous surgeries (including Tommy John surgery), but he can't figure out his current on-field struggles. It wouldn't be surprising to see Pittsburgh skip his turn in the rotation.

Taillon (6-4) allowed 10 runs (nine earned) on nine hits and a walk while striking out one batter over three-plus innings during Tuesday's 11-3 loss to the Giants.

It was a night to forget for Taillon, who clearly didn't have his best stuff working for him in what turned out to be the worst start of his young major-league career. The 25-year-old breezed through the opening inning before being blistered for a career-high nine earned runs over the following two-plus frames. The disastrous outing raised his season ERA nearly a full point, from 3.08 to 4.03. He'll look to rebound in a big way in his next scheduled start against the Reds next Tuesday.