CHICAGO — Jameson Taillon is a pitching nerd with a great feel for the nuances and personalities around the sport. He values “Ivy,” the Chicago Cubs’ information-sharing platform, as well as the relationships within the Wrigley Field clubhouse. He has money and stature, but he doesn’t pretend to have all the answers.

In fact, Taillon is constantly looking for ways to make gradual improvements to his game and bring teammates together behind the scenes. His perspective is shaped, in part, by his experiences as a cancer survivor who has undergone two Tommy John surgeries. His prior education in professional baseball came with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees, which showed him different sides of the baseball industry. Getting selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2010 MLB Draft — in between Bryce Harper and Manny Machado — signified a certain level of talent and expectations.

Whatever’s going on around the Cubs, Taillon can probably relate.

“The definition of a leader, for me, is someone who can connect with various people, not just people in your group or your clique,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “He’s got the ability to connect with rookies, with position players, with bench players, with veterans because he asks questions.”

Where would the Cubs be without Taillon? That is, fortunately, only a hypothetical for a first-place club that has worked around injuries to All-Star pitchers Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele and still needs to get through nearly seven more weeks before welcoming the anticipated reinforcements at the July 31 trade deadline.

The Cubs are in a great position because they have received positive contributions from all over their roster. Taillon walked off the Wrigley Field mound to a standing ovation from Thursday night’s crowd of 40,174, then watched the bullpen get the final eight outs in a 3-2 victory over the Pirates that represented a collective effort.

With the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Cubs reliever Brad Keller struck out Oneil Cruz swinging to end the threat. Daniel Palencia, the unofficial closer, handled the tougher part of Pittsburgh’s lineup in the eighth inning, setting up former closer Ryan Pressly for the save. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki hit home runs to provide Chicago’s offense. But the starting pitcher always sets the tone.

“Words like ‘consistent’ and ‘reliable’ sometimes don’t feel like they do Jameson enough justice,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “But it’s so valuable in the starting pitcher world because those two attributes affect the eight guys in the bullpen tomorrow or yesterday or Saturday.

“The innings he delivers is another big piece. It doesn’t seem like the most exciting thing. But for a starting pitcher, it’s a really important part of helping everybody else around you, and he consistently does it.”

Everything is connected. In a good year, Taillon might start only 30 of his team’s 162 games, yet he still carries himself like an everyday player, sticking with a regimented routine, monitoring the energy in the dugout and staying in tune with each series.

Taillon did not withdraw, sulk or make excuses when he initially struggled after signing a four-year, $68 million contract that began with the 2023 season. He kept working and set a good example. He has awareness and empathy.

“He’ll ask real questions of young players: ‘What were you thinking there?’” Hottovy said. “Very much how a coach would because he wants to hear you talk about it. That’s why guys gravitate toward him. Most people, when they need something, they come to you. Not many guys are coming to you asking what you need: ‘What can I help you with?’

“There’s a lot of that in Jame-o. He’s willing to not only give his time when people ask for it, but also whenever he feels like a guy needs an arm around him or somebody to talk to, he’s there.”

Taillon’s willingness to absorb information and ability to adapt can be seen in the “kick-change,” a variation of the changeup that he began to sharpen in spring training. He created that runway to experiment by reporting to camp in good shape and quickly getting the feel for his fastball and curveball. A diligent throwing program in Arizona kept his mechanics in rhythm.

With left-handed hitters having another effective pitch to think about, Taillon now has 10 quality starts through 14 outings. He has won his last five starts, and he allowed two runs or fewer in each of those games. His ERA is 3.48, and his WHIP is 0.98. He has already accounted for 82 2/3 innings before the first day of summer.

“I take a lot of pride in being out there, being available,” Taillon said, “because I’ve been the hurt guy before, and I feel like I kind of reinvented myself a little bit. I’ve been able to — knock on wood — stay on the field and be a guy that our position players can look forward to seeing on the mound every fifth day.

“I’ve invested a lot in myself and been disciplined to get to this point where I can be a little more consistent, understand my strengths, understand my routine, who I am as a person and how that translates to the game. It’s being someone that your manager and teammates can just kind of hand the ball to and say, ‘We know he’s got it. He’s under control. He knows what he’s doing.’”