Cubs' bullpen decision backfires as Ben Brown struggles in a high-leverage situation, relinquishing a lead. His readiness for crucial moments is questioned.
The Chicago Cubs were headed for a doubleheader sweep against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday.
Shota Imanaga pitched well in his 5+ innings of work, Dansby Swanson added on a few insurance runs after launching a two-run home run in the sixth inning, and the Guardians couldn’t get anything going on offense in the first 14 innings of the day.
Then, Ben Brown came into the game.
After Imanaga allowed a leadoff double in the bottom of the sixth inning, manager Craig Counsell turned to Brown in the bullpen. However, the right-hander did not have his best stuff in the second game of the doubleheader.
He allowed two runs on two hits and walked two batters in the sixth inning. Brown walked the first hitter he faced, and things got away from him after that. The Cubs saw their lead slip from 3-0 to 3-3 in a hurry with Brown on the mound.
There’s no doubt Brown struggled in Sunday’s relief appearance. He only induced one whiff in his two innings and allowed some hard contact. Both Gabriel Arias and CJ Kayfus hit balls over 96.5 mph for base hits in the inning.
The move to go with Brown in the sixth was a bit questionable from Counsell. Although the 26-year-old has looked solid in the early going, his two appearances to begin the season have come in low-leverage situations.
Back on Opening Day, Brown came into the game with the Cubs already losing 5-2. Then, in his second relief appearance, the right-hander pitched the last 3 ⅓ innings with the North Siders trailing 2-0.
In Sunday’s doubleheader, Counsell deployed Brown in a high-leverage situation. He came into the game with a runner on base already and the Cubs clinging to a nice three-run lead.
It’s clear that Brown is not ready to pitch in these high-leverage situations yet. Before his appearance against the Guardians, opposing hitters were batting .296 with nine extra-base hits against Brown in high-leverage spots in his career. Hitters also had a .395 batting average on balls in play in these situations.
The Cubs can’t simply be putting Brown in these high-leverage spots moving forward. He’s not ready for it and needs to operate in those low-leverage situations. The 26-year-old seems to pitch better with nothing on the line.
The potential is there for Brown to be a valuable piece in the Cubs bullpen. He added a sinker this offseason and had a 32% strikeout rate in his first two relief appearances. But it’s best to stay away from him in close games for right now.