Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Jameson Taillon Reveals 'Real Belief' Inside Cubs Dugout

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI
By Michael Brauner | Last updated Apr 13, 2026 1:45 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs have not gotten off to the kind of start they had hoped for, but Sunday afternoon might have just been the kickstart they needed in order to hit the ground running.

After dropping the first two games of the series to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago found itself down 5-0 early on Sunday and on the cusp of being swept by their division rival. Instead, what followed was a comeback and an epic 7-6 victory that saw three runs over the final two innings and a walk-off single from Carson Kelly.

Despite the early hole in both the standings and on Sunday to reach the brink, it does not sound like this team has had its faith shaken at any point yet. Veteran pitcher Jameson Taillon spoke about that mindset after it was his shaky start that put the team in a hole before working his way through it.

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Cubs never thought they would lose, Taillon says

"I never saw our guys waver or falter today," Taillon said. "It would have been easy going down 5-0 and just kind of be like 'welp, let's go on the road we got swept', it was just a really cool vibe and energy today where I thought everyone was picking each other up, guys passing the baton to each other as the game went.

"In a weird way it felt like a game we were gonna win and I don't know if I've felt that yet this year where there was a real belief in that dugout that we were gonna win today."

Sometimes, it takes teams a little while and a kick in the rear to get going, and that could absolutely be the case here. Instead of being swept by a perceived weaker division rival at home, Chicago decided to fight back and get the next week started on the right foot so momentum could carry over.

Jameson Taillon: "There was a real belief in that dugout that we were gonna win today." https://t.co/QcEBj2DLeK
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 12, 2026

Cubs would love to carry momentum into this week

Chicago has a massive series this week against their National League rival, the Philadelphia Phillies, before returning home to face the New York Mets, two teams they could be jostling for playoff positioning with down the stretch.

If Taillon proves to be correct with the way the level of belief changed for this team on Sunday, perhaps they can get going here strongly as they look to attack the rest of April and the season really gets going.

A slow start can be overlooked easily if the Cubs start playing at the level they are capable of, and they may have just gotten the kickstart they needed.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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