The Chicago Cubs enter Thursday evening’s series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field already dealing with a frustrating stretch of baseball, and the latest update from the clubhouse only made the picture bleaker.
Right-hander Ben Brown, who has been sidelined since late June with a neck injury, will not pitch again this season, according to Cubs insider Taylor McGregor.
Brown had appeared close to a return as recently as the final days of August. That hope faded after a bullpen session last week left him symptomatic, with the discomfort growing worse as the day went on.
The setback ended any realistic chance of him contributing during the final weeks of the regular season. For a Cubs team fighting to hold its place in the National League wild-card race, the timing is especially difficult.
Before the injury, Brown had been one of Chicago’s most effective arms. In 68 innings, he posted a 1.85 ERA and 0.94 WHIP while striking out 65 batters. Those numbers suggested he could have given the rotation or bullpen a meaningful lift down the stretch.
Over three major-league seasons, he owns a 4.15 ERA with 250 strikeouts in 229 2/3 innings, plus two scoreless frames in last year’s postseason. Losing that kind of production in September is a genuine blow.
The Cubs currently sit at 78-62, occupying the second Wild Card spot and trailing the Philadelphia Phillies by a single game for the top position. They also remain nine games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Recent form has not helped.
Chicago has dropped six of its last ten games, including two of three to the Cincinnati Reds last weekend. After opening this four-game set with a 17-3 win on Monday, the Cubs dropped the next two contests, 9-4 and 9-5.
Thursday’s 6:15 p.m. CDT first pitch therefore carries extra weight. A series split would at least keep the Cubs from falling further behind in the wild-card standings before they fly to Miami for a weekend series against the Marlins.
The pitching staff will have to cover Brown’s absence with the arms already on the roster, a group that has shown both promise and inconsistency over the past month.
Manager Craig Counsell and the front office now face the familiar late-season puzzle of stretching innings and managing workloads without one of their more reliable options.
Brown’s absence does not end Chicago’s season, but it does remove a potential stabilizer at a moment when every start and every bullpen outing matters. The Cubs still control their own path into October. They simply have one fewer pitcher available to walk it.
