The headline represents about all I’ve got for the Cubs’ 2-1 loss to the Pirates Monday afternoon, their ninth consecutive defeat.
Ben Brown was absolutely dealing. He allowed four hits and a run and struck out seven in six solid innings, throwing 83 pitches (58 strikes). The six-inning effort was his longest of the season, but the 83 pitches were just one more than he’d thrown in his previous outing. It was a warm day in Pittsburgh (73 degrees) but not overly hot and humid, so why not let him go
one more?
Perhaps that would have prevented Henry Davis from hitting the solo home run off Trent Thornton that was the difference in the game.
We’ll never know, of course.
The other difference in the game, naturally, was the Cubs’ almost-complete offensive failure. They had six hits and three walks off Carmen Mlodzinski and Wilber Dotel over eight innings (and no runners in the ninth), but again couldn’t get any of the runners across the plate. It was so bad that the RISP numbers were just 0-for-2, largely because they simply couldn’t get anyone to scoring position. Overall the Cubs left seven on base, with one runner (Alex Bregman) picked off.
The only Pirates run off Brown came in the third when he walked Spencer Horwitz with one out and Brandon Lowe doubled him in.
The Cubs tied the game in the fifth when Michael Busch homered off Mlodzinski, his sixth [VIDEO].
Busch has now homered in back-to-back games. So that’s good. Too bad there wasn’t anyone on base. That home run went a long way [VIDEO].
A bit more on Brown’s outing from BCB’s JohnW53:
Ben Brown finished with one run on four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in six innings.
Only 12 previous Cubs starters since 1901 had exactly the first four numbers in at least six innings. Just three did not get a decision: Rube Kroh, first of the 12, in 8.0 innings in 1908 at Philadelphia; Tom Gorzelany, in 6.1, in 2010 at Cincinnati; and Jeff Samardzija, the last before today, in 6.0, on June 23, 2014 at home vs. the Reds.
Eight were winners: Orval Overall (1910), Dick Selma (1969), Fergie Jenkins (1972), Scott Sanderson (1987), Jon Lieber (2000), Mark Prior (2003), Carlos Zambrano (2004) and Rodrigo Lopez (2011).Prior and Lopez pitched 6.0, as Brown did.
Matt Garza pitched a complete game in 2011 vs. the White Sox and lost, 1-0.
Here’s more on Brown’s day [VIDEO].
As you can see there, Brown used a really good pitch mix and mostly baffled Pirates hitters. Could it be that Ben Brown has finally arrived as a MLB starter? You know I had my doubts, but the fact that he has developed good secondary pitches appears to have made the difference. Great for Ben, and great for the team. Here are Brown’s seven strikeouts [VIDEO].
Thornton retired the first two Pirates in the seventh on ground balls before Davis homered. The pitch wasn’t a bad pitch, either, a cutter down and away, but Davis just got it.
Jacob Webb threw a scoreless eighth, helped in part by this fine catch by Pete Crow-Armstrong [VIDEO].
Craig Counsell sent three pinch hitters to the plate in the ninth, the first was Nico Hoerner for Pedro Ramirez.
I’m having trouble understanding why you’d bat for a switch-hitter (Ramirez) in that situation. Okay, Nico’s experienced at leading off innings, I guess you can make a case for it.
Nico swung at what would have been ball three and grounded out.
Seiya Suzuki, batting for Moisés Ballesteros, struck out and Carson Kelly, batting for Miguel Amaya, grounded out to end the game.
You can tell these guys are pressing, which can happen when a team’s on a long losing streak. All the team can do is pick up and try to win tomorrow.
A couple of likely meaningless notes on the Cubs losing recently: First, this game ran 2:24. It’s the sixth game this year the Cubs have played in that time or shorter. They’ve lost all of them.
Second, and even more meaningless:
Maybe wear the blue alternates the rest of the road trip? Just for the heck of it? Can’t hurt, right?
The Cubs will once again attempt to end the losing streak Tuesday evening at PNC Park. Jordan Wicks will make his first 2026 start for the Cubs and Braxton Ashcraft will go for the Pirates. Game time Tuesday is 5:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
