Right-hander Jameson Taillon doesn’t like the feeling of showing up to the ballpark knowing the result of the game won’t affect the postseason picture.
‘‘At the same time, I’ve still got to show up to the park and put on a Cubs jersey and play in front of some great fans in Chicago,’’ he said after the Cubs’ 1-0 victory Friday against the Reds.
Taillon’s efficient showing — four hits and two walks allowed in seven innings — helped the Cubs and Reds fly through the game in 1 hour, 48 minutes. It was the fastest nine-inning game since June 2, 2010, when the Tigers’ Armando Galarraga nearly threw a perfect game.
Taillon (12-8) finished the season with a 3.27 ERA. In a year marked by consistency, he pitched at least six innings and held opponents to two runs or fewer in each of his last five starts.
‘‘I had a little bit of a rough patch there in early to mid-August,’’ he said. ‘‘So to be able to bounce back from that and finish strong is a good feeling.’’
Second baseman Nico Hoerner, who scored the only run, said Taillon is one of his favorite pitchers to watch on the mound.
‘‘The information that he has, the commitment to execution, every single pitch really has a purpose,’’ Hoerner said. ‘‘The misses are never by much. There’s always intention behind every single pitch. And just to have that kind of conviction and focus over 100 pitches every five days for an entire season is really impressive.’’
The only run they needed
In a game in which the wind — screaming in at 22 mph from right field — was knocking down anything in the air, Hoerner had the Cubs’ only extra-base hit with a double to left field in the fifth. Pete Crow-Armstrong then moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt.
That brought Miguel Amaya to the plate with one out.
‘‘To be honest, I wasn’t trying to do much,’’ he said. ‘‘I was trying just to put the ball in play. I knew a ball in the air was coming to the infield, so I battled that at-bat.’’
Amaya hit a short fly to right on a two-strike slider.
‘‘Very good send by [third-base coach] Willie Harris there,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘Because with the wind there, you know the ball is going to end up in a really short place, but the wind actually made it hard for [right fielder Jake] Fraley to make a play.”
Harris was shouting to Hoerner that no matter where the ball ended up, he was tagging up and running home. Hoerner was on the same page.
‘‘Knew it was going to be close play at the plate,’’ Hoerner said. ‘‘But given the game state and not being a very good run-scoring environment, got to be aggressive.’’
He scored, crossing the plate with a Superman dive.
Injury updates
Outfielder/designated hitter Seiya Suzuki’s right ankle was ‘‘much improved,’’ Counsell said, three days after he sprained it rounding the bases against the Phillies. Suzuki hit in the batting cages and ran before the game. He was available off the bench, but he didn’t play.
‘‘Optimistic he’ll play [Saturday],’’ Counsell said before the game.
First baseman Michael Busch, who also left the Cubs’ game Tuesday against the Phillies with an injury (bruised right triceps), returned to the lineup as the DH.