Jameson Taillon struck out seven while going six innings and Seiya Suzuki clubbed a two-run homer for one of his three hits, and had three RBIs, as the Chicago Cubs beat the visiting Colorado Rockies 6-0 on Friday.

A loser in 10 of the previous 13 and fighting for an National League wild-card spot, reeling Chicago (80-74) rebounded after allowing 21 runs in losing the previous two games to the Pittsburgh Pirates on this final homestand of 2023. Taillon (8-10) certainly helped the cause, though he was far from dominant while yielding four of Colorado’s six hits and four walks.

However, the Rockies (56-97) stranded seven men on base and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position while Taillon was on the mound for the Cubs, who also dropped five of the previous seven at home. All-Star catcher Elias Diaz had two hits for Colorado, which has lost five straight overall, and eight in a row on the road, where it’s won just twice in the last 21.

The Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the first against Colorado rookie starter Noah Davis (0-3), but managed only a run via Suzuki’s RBI single. Rockies left fielder Nolan Jones cut down Ian Happ trying to score a second run on the same play to end the inning.

Suzuki struck again in the fourth, this time sending a Davis pitch into the left-field bleachers, with a man on, for his 20th home run, and a 3-0 Chicago edge. According to Marquee Sports Network, Suzuki joins Hideki Matsui and Shohei Ohtani as the only Japanese-born major leaguers to record at least 20 home runs and 70 RBIs in a season.

He then singled in the sixth and scored on Jared Young’s second homer of the season, off Colorado’s Gavin Hollowell. The Cubs added a little more insurance via Dansby Swanson’s RBI single in the seventh.

In his first major league start since June 20, Davis lasted five innings, allowing three runs, four hits, walking three and striking out four. Meanwhile, his Rockies teammates grounded into three double plays.

–Field Level Media