PITTSBURGH — With the Aug. 3 trade deadline rapidly approaching and a glaring need for pitching reinforcements, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell acknowledged Sunday that Jameson Taillon’s spot in the rotation is in jeopardy.“We need better than that,” Counsell said after Chicago’s 8-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, where Taillon gave up three more home runs, including Ryan O’Hearn’s grand slam in the third inning, forcing the Cubs to play catch-up instead of closing out a three-game sweep against another playoff contender. “We put seven on the board. That should be enough.”Taillon gave up seven runs in four innings as his ERA rose to 5.92. Counsell acknowledged that Taillon’s inconsistencies — opponents have launched 25 home runs during his 15 starts — are reaching a point where the Cubs will have to reevaluate his role.“We got to discuss it,” Counsell said. “We got days to figure that out, but we have to discuss what’s best for the staff in general.”The Cubs could shift Javier Assad out of the bullpen and back into the rotation before the trade deadline. Later in August, the team hopes to activate Edward Cabrera off the injured list, which also includes Cade Horton, Justin Steele and Ben Brown.Taillon is in the final season of the four-year, $68 million deal he signed to help stabilize Chicago’s rotation and bring a sense of professionalism to a team trying to exit a rebuilding phase.The 34-year-old right-hander has been a dependable pitcher for long stretches of that contract. He started two elimination games the Cubs won last October. He’s widely respected in the clubhouse for his work ethic and ability to connect with different players.“We need better than that,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after Chicago’s 8-7 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. “We put seven on the board. That should be enough.” (Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images)Taillon understood the question about Counsell and his coaches looking at possible alternatives: “I’ve been around long enough to know that I’m hurting the team, and have been for a little while now, so I’m not naive to that at all.”With the organization’s pitching depth depleted, the Cubs are near the beginning of a stretch with 17 games scheduled in 17 days, and 26 games over a 27-day period. During Sunday’s pregame media session, Counsell floated the idea of using a six-man rotation at some point, but that was before Taillon’s issue with home runs resurfaced.“It’s been a problem all year,” Taillon said. “As far as a theme goes, just leaving too many pitches over the big part of the plate to lefties. Probably could pitch in a little more and buy myself more room out there on the outer half. But overall, obviously, just not good enough.“The results speak for themselves. I’m confident I can figure it out. But when you’re going out there and hurting the team, it’s obviously not a good place to be.”Besides his track record and the constant possibility of more injuries, Taillon could also receive a grace period, considering a strained left hamstring sidelined him for six weeks, and he’s made only two starts since coming off the injured list.“We factor all that in,” Counsell said, “and we got some time to make that decision.”