NewsJust a Field of dreams for Taylor
Florida (14-8) at Chicago (10-11), 2:20 p.m. ET
Rookie Graham Taylor called the chance to pitch at Wrigley Field "a dream come true." (AP)
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
05/01/09 12:04 AM ET
CHICAGO -- Growing up in the Cincinnati area, Graham Taylor was naturally a Reds fan. So the left-hander certainly had plenty of chances to watch the Reds face the Cubs. Some of Taylor's most memorable images were watching games on TV at Wrigley Field. On Friday afternoon, Taylor will have the thrill of pitching in the historic park. The 24-year-old, who is filling the rotation spot vacated because Andrew Miller is on the disabled list, will take the mound in the afternoon contest against one of the top right-handers in the National League, Rich Harden. Taylor will be making his second Major League start, and first on the road. He couldn't ask for a better away setting. "The history in this park is unbelievable," Taylor said. "The heritage. Getting a start here is awesome. I never thought that his would ever happen. This is a dream come true, basically." Taylor will have a modest support group on hand. He got tickets for about 12 family members, including his parents, who are making the 4 1/2-hour drive from the Cincinnati area. Taylor certainly is learning under fire at the big league level. He opened the season at Double-A Jacksonville, and he wasn't in big league camp with the Marlins in Spring Training. Yet, when Miller went on the disabled list with a right oblique strain, the Marlins added Taylor, who is the lone left-hander in the rotation. Known for throwing strikes, Taylor was disappointed at how uncharacteristically wild he was against the Phillies in his Major League debut. Keeping his emotions in check will be a challenge at a ballpark with so much energy. "I'm just trying to stay under control," Taylor said. "After the first start, I think I was a little anxious. It's hard coming into a place like this to settle down. But that's exactly what I have to do. I have to stay calm and just go out and pitch. "This is the first I've ever been here, and it's pretty awesome, to say the least. It's pretty exciting to go out there, and just the history that is in this ballpark. It's just awesome. I don't know how to explain that." Pitching matchupFLA: LHP Graham Taylor (0-1, 9.82 ERA)
The 24-year-old Taylor made his Major League debut against the Phillies on Sunday. In his first big league inning, he threw 22 of his 38 pitches for balls and ended up giving up two runs. Taylor finished off that game allowing four runs on four hits and six walks in 3 2/3 innings as the Marlins were routed at home -- but two of those runs came on a misplay by Jeremy Hermida. The 2006 10th-round Draft pick finished throwing 98 pitches -- 49 for strikes. CHC: RHP Rich Harden (2-1, 3.86 ERA)
Harden picked up the win in his last start, a 10-3 decision against the Cardinals. He struck out nine and gave up four hits, including two solo homers, over six innings. Harden admitted he didn't feel right at the start of the game, but as it progressed, his fastball seemed to pick up and it helped his changeup. He was hitting 95 mph on the radar gun pretty regularly. Tidbits
Dan Uggla is 2-for-5 with a home run and double in his career off Harden. ... Hanley Ramirez, still nursing a sore right-hander, is 2-for-4 off Harden. Ramirez has not played since being struck by a pitch on his right hand on Monday. Manager Fredi Gonzalez says there is an "81 percent" chance Ramirez will play Friday. ... Miller threw a side session on Wednesday in New York and he threw off flat ground on Thursday. When he faces batters during this DL stint remains unclear. ... Jorge Cantu has homered in three successive games -- with four over that span -- and he had 22 RBIs in the month of April. Tickets
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• Saturday: Marlins (Anibal Sanchez, 1-2, 4.13) at Cubs (Ted Lilly, 2-2, 3.80), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Marlins (Ricky Nolasco, 1-2, 6.92) at Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, 2-1, 4.64), 2:20 p.m. ET
• Monday: Marlins (Josh Johnson, 2-0, 2.60) vs. Reds (Aaron Harang, 2-3, 3.09), 7:10 p.m. ET
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
