Chicago Cubs: Ben Brown is a true rotation x-factor

The Chicago Cubs have the best record in baseball at the moment (27-12) and a nice 3.5 game lead atop the NL Central Division. They’re also riding high on a 10-game winning streak, which matches an earlier 10-game winning streak that ended just three games prior to this most recent “W” run.

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This insane—and historic—run of success is especially incredible considering just how battered and strained the team’s pitching staff has been.

The Cubs lost Cade Horton for the year following elbow surgery. They’ve lost Matthew Boyd on two separate occasions now, with this latest freak injury of the meniscus requiring surgery and an IL stint that could last until after the All-Star break. They’ve also lost several key components of their bullpen and a few backup pieces as well.

Yet, they keep winning.

“It just feels like we’re talking about somebody different every night,” manager Craig Counsell recently told reporters, referring to this run of hero-of-the-day victories.

Ben Brown: Hero of the day…and beyond?

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In Friday’s 7-1 win over the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Ben Brown earned the hero-of-the-day distinction.

Asked to move into the rotation after Boyd’s injury, the 26-year-old showcased the increased poise, maturity, and pitch decisions he’s been displaying all season as a multi-inning bullpen asset.

Over four innings, the hard-throwing right-hander gave up no runs, no hits, and only walked one. It was a commanding, impressive performance, but it just continued the storyline of a young pitcher who is finally looking like his self-actualized self.

Since April 11, Brown has a 0.47 ERA in 19 innings over 9 appearances. In his last 4 outings, he’s allowed just one hit over 8.2 innings. Overall, he’s 1-1 with a 1.82 ERA over 13 appearances this season.

“We couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Counsell told reporters after the game. “He was dialed in. He was sharp. He was pounding the strike zone. He was getting quick outs. To get him through four innings was, I think, unexpected, to say the least.”

Becoming his best self

Brown has shown flashes of brilliance since coming over from the Philadelphia Phillies organization in the 2022 trade for reliever David Robertson, but consistency was always the issue. The addition of a sinker ball to his pitch repertoire this offseason has given him an effective and useful third pitch—especially for a team with such a brilliant infield defense.

“There’s so many different layers to the situation,” Brown told media after this recent outing, spreading the accolades around. “Our pitching staff is just better because our defense is so good. Our pitching staff can breathe a little bit because our offense is playing so well. Our pitching staff is incredibly deep because our coaches are so solid. There’s so many causes and effects.”

If Brown is becoming his best self, the Cubs may have found the starting pitcher they’ve so desperately needed since Horton went down and Boyd followed him. It would take an immense amount of pressure off the front office in their pursuit of a front-of-rotation starter for a team with championship aspirations.

Of course, it’s still early in the season and Brown has had things go sideways on him before. But this definitely looks like a different pitcher this time around. And even if the Cubs do end up targeting a high-end starter at the trade deadline—as they really should—a sharp and commanding Brown would be a blessing in the three months or so leading up to that pickup.

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