Ben Brown's rough outing brings more questions about his spot in the rotation

New York Times

3 hours ago

ST. LOUIS — For three innings, it seemed like Ben Brown was about to put together a great outing. It wouldn't have been a surprise. The young starter has shown flashes of brilliance mixed in with severe rough patches. Both happened on Monday as Brown went from shutting down the St. Louis Cardinals to quickly finding himself on the wrong end of an 8-2 loss.
Advertisement
'It just happened really fast. It's really frustrating,' Brown said. 'It's going to be tough to sleep tonight knowing I was that close to something really good tonight, and just as fast as it went away. It's hard.'
Brown needed just 28 pitches to get through the first three frames. But over his next two-plus innings, he threw 53 pitches and gave up eight runs on a quartet of two-run homers. Monday marked Brown's 14th appearance this season and the sixth time he's given up five or more runs.
Overall, Brown has struck out 25.3 percent of batters he's faced and walked 7.5 percent, strong peripherals that often lead to good results. But far too often — like on Monday — he's failed to execute, leaving pitches over the heart of the plate, culminating in an ERA of 6.13.
Brown has given glimpses of his immense upside. He threw six scoreless frames against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds, and seven innings of two-run ball when facing the Detroit Tigers. But the bad moments have come far too frequently. A Cubs team with a clear focus on ending a playoff drought needs more consistency.
'This is part of being a young starting pitcher in the league and trying to make progress,' Counsell said. 'As you have to get 15, 18 outs in a game, it's difficult. It's hard to see now, but there is growth happening. It's hard to like the growth when there's struggles going on, but that's where the best stuff comes from. So we just gotta keep working on it and improve the quality of the execution. Keep going.'
The question is whether Brown will keep going in the big leagues. Before the game, Counsell announced that Shota Imanaga, who has been on the injured list since May 5 with a left hamstring strain, would return to the rotation on Thursday. Matthew Boyd, who had a bad bruise on his left shoulder after catching a hard liner in his last start, is scheduled to pitch Wednesday.
Advertisement
Counsell also noted that Porter Hodge, who has been out since May 17 with an oblique strain, then a hip issue, is back with the team and could be activated soon. That may mean Brown, who has options remaining, could be ticketed for Triple A. Time to fine-tune his developing changeup, and doing a better job of not leaving so many pitches over the plate could be of value to Brown.
'There's some moments when you need to lock it in and bear down and execute some pitches,' catcher Carson Kelly said. 'They've been getting in some good counts and we need to get ahead.'
Brown was upset after the loss and addressed the possibility of losing his spot in the rotation.
'Yeah, stuff like that is going to be in the back of your mind,' Brown said. 'Obviously, when guys show up in the locker room, they're going to need spots to pitch. It's hard. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. I just gotta do my job and I didn't do it tonight.'
The young pitcher is often seen with a smile on his face and chatting with veterans after his outings. On this night, he sat on a couch, stone-faced by himself, scrolling his phone. Brown has to diagnose and address whatever is going wrong for him. But the Cubs can't dwell on losses like this. The focus has to be on fixing the issue. Imanaga's return is the first step.
'He's ready to go,' Counsell said. 'He did a full rehab. Everything that happened on rehab was according to schedule. The performance was very good, and all the important data we look at was good.'
This is a team that's in desperate need of Imanaga's return. Brown and Colin Rea have done enough to ensure the Cubs don't sink in the standings. But their performances of late — Rea gave up four home runs and seven earned runs in Sunday's 14-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners — have left much to be desired. Imanaga's arrival comes at a time when the team is in search of a pick-me-up. But additions beyond Imanaga are needed.
Advertisement
The win for St. Louis ties them for second with the Milwaukee Brewers and puts them just 3 1/2 games back of the Cubs, who are looking vulnerable for the first time in a while.
Starting pitching has been the glaring need for weeks now and has to be the focus for team president Jed Hoyer and his front office over the next month as they look to upgrade the roster. There's no doubt they will act. The only question is when that move will happen.
(Top photo of Ben Brown watching Brendan Donovan as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run homer: Joe Puetz / Imagn Images)