taschner's first full season in the major leagues saw him rank third on the team in appearances. he pitched 50 innings out of the giants' bullpen, striking out 51 batters in 63 games. he allowed a .235 opponents' batting average, which was lowest among all qualifying relievers. he also allowed only 19 hits to right-handed batters over the entire season, qualifying him as a left-handed specialist. taschner's 2008 season yielded a strong performance, in which he allowed only 26 earned runs in 48 innings; he struck out 39 batters while walking 24.