The Chicago Cubs saw their three-game win streak come to an end on Saturday, as they fell prey to the Philadelphia Phillies in the second of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
The 10-4 loss to the Phillies can be largely blamed for the horrible start of Ben Brown on the mound. Brown got pounded by the Phillies for six runs on nine hits in only 3.2 innings of work. Brown was solid on the hill for the Cubs against his Philly in the first three innings, holding the visitors scoreless over that stretch and ended his time on the mound with six strikeouts. But he got blown up by Philadelphia in the fourth inning, where Philly erupted for six runs.
It was a frustrating performance that also earned a blunt take on the pitcher from Cubs manager Craig Counsell.
“We need better,” Counsell said about Brown following the game, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.
Brown’s brutal outing against the Phillies came just when it was starting to look like he had turned things around following a slow start to the 2025 MLB campaign. The 25-year-old Brown allowed 11 runs (10 earned) on 17 hits and issued nine free passes across 11.2 innings in his first three appearances (two starts) this season.
Brown then pitched six scoreless innings while racking up five punchouts in a Cubs win against the reigning World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers, on April 12, before holding the Arizona Diamondbacks to just a run with six strikeouts through four innings on April 19 on six days of rest.
The 2025 season is Brown’s second in the big leagues. In 2024, he went 1-3 with a 3.58 ERA and a 3.11 FIP across 15 appearances (eight starts) for the Cubs, who acquired him via a trade with the Phillies in 2022 in exchange for relief pitcher David Robertson.
Fans react to Brown amid struggles in Cubs’ loss to Phillies
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