SAN DIEGO — Ben Brown’s tough major-league debut could have been the precursor to a rough transition from the minors.
The 24-year-old right-hander didn’t let that night in Arlington, Texas, carry over, though. Ten days later, Brown kept the San Diego Padres in check during his first big-league start in the Chicago Cubs’ 5-1 victory Tuesday. Brown’s 4 2/3 shutout innings were exactly what the Cubs needed after blowing an eight-run lead in Monday’s 9-8 loss at Petco Park.
Brown didn’t appear to put any pressure on himself as the Cubs looked to bounce back. He got a great night of sleep and a good breakfast and felt peaceful on the mound. It’s a testament to how Brown has addressed the mental side of the game.
“When I walked (Tyler) Wade in the third inning, last year if that happened, I don’t know what the result would be after that,” Brown said. “I probably would’ve started searching right away instead of getting back on the horse and back on the bump, so seeing that flip-flop from not even 12 months ago is really neat.
“It feels like the playoffs because every game up here feels so big. … I wasn’t super nervous and it’s just a testament to God, just giving me that strength and courage to go out there and be myself and play free.”
Tuesday’s performance followed Brown’s four innings April 3 at Wrigley Field in which he limited the Colorado Rockies to three hits, one run and one walk while striking out five.
“It’s almost like tonight was the final affirmation that I needed,” Brown said. “The game at Wrigley was freezing cold and I don’t know if anyone wants to hit in that temperature, so that little thing in your head’s telling you that you’ve got to go out and do it again.”
The Padres managed just three hits and one walk and struck out five times. Brown recorded 11 called strikes and five whiffs with his fastball, which topped out at 98.4 mph.
Veteran catcher Yan Gomes said Brown’s success Tuesday with his electric fastball was “a confidence booster for sure.” Gomes believes it’s important Brown knows he is in the majors for a reason and he didn’t want Brown to change who he is as a pitcher or overthrow the ball just because he was facing a tough Padres lineup.
“One of the biggest things is getting a lot of strikes with your elite pitches,” Gomes said. “Come out there and get strike one, and if not, just get back in the zone.”
Brown got a boost from his defense in the first inning. Xander Bogaerts’ leadoff double could have led to trouble, but Cody Bellinger threw him out at third — aided by a well-timed tag by Christopher Morel — as Bogaerts tagged up and tried to advance on Fernando Tatís Jr.’s flyout.
The Cubs posted five runs in the fifth on Gomes’ home run and Morel’s first career grand slam.
Morel slugged a 2-0 slider that reliever Tyler Kolek left down the middle for a no-doubt, 431-foot home run to left field. His focus in the moment was taking one pitch at a time and remembering that even one run was good for the Cubs in that spot.
“My passion was under control,” Morel said. “I was trying to get my pitch and not try to do too much. … Super special all in the moment. My first year playing every day — all my offseason I was working hard. The guys showed me I can do it. Just trying to be more consistent, learn from the bad days. We need to keep doing that.”
Before Brown’s start Tuesday, manager Craig Counsell said the Cubs needed to be a little careful with his pitch count because Brown had not been fully stretched out before his call-up to replace the injured Justin Steele. Brown was replaced after 77 pitches by Drew Smyly with two out in the fifth and No. 8 hitter Jackson Merrill due up.
“He’s done a nice job and he’s getting a ton of feedback on being a major-league starter and going through the lineup a couple times, and that’s great for him,” Counsell said.
With limited big-league experience, the feedback Brown gets from seeing how hitters attack his stuff is an important tool for his development and making adjustments.
“You can tell him, but you have to experience it,” Counsell said. “That’s what is great about this, and that’s the natural process for a starting pitcher to go through.”
Counsell didn’t think Brown’s big-league debut March 30 against the Rangers was as bad as his pitching line might indicate. But after giving up five hits and six runs in 1 2/3 innings, Brown delivered a “fabulous” outing, from Counsell’s perspective, his next time out against the Rockies.
The adjustments of trusting his stuff — mainly his fastball and curveball — and honing his command proved Brown won’t let himself be defined by the low moments.
“It’s a hard league and the league is unforgiving and it’s not if you’re going to get knocked down,” Counsell said. “You will get knocked down, and what’s after that is always the most important thing. And that’s a great sign of what Ben did after his first appearance in the big leagues.
“Now, it’ll happen again at some point and you keep going through that and keep taking the feedback in, keep getting better and making little adjustments, keep connecting with your teammates and coaches on how to get through that, and that’s how you get the ball handed to you every fifth day.”
Julian Merryweather showing patience in recovery
Merryweather expected a muscle strain might sideline him for two weeks based on the location and pain he felt in his shoulder area. Finding out he sustained a bone-related injury surprised Merryweather, whose rib stress fracture in his upper back will keep him out for more than a month.
Merryweather is shut down from throwing for four weeks but will keep his lower half active and legs strong. The injury, however, limits how much upper-body rotation he can do and even affects him in non-baseball activities such as getting out of bed.
Merryweather is confident the Cubs bullpen can take on his role while he’s out.
“We have loads of depth and great arms and we showed last year what we can do,” Merryweather said Tuesday. “I know we’re going to have guys step up.”
Craig Counsell seeks balance in incorporating bench
One of the biggest benefits to Morel playing third base is the flexibility it gives Counsell with the designated hitter spot.
Counsell has not hesitated to use the DH as a way to give lineup regulars such as Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ partial days off by getting them off their feet. Five players have logged at least one start at DH through the first 11 games.
On Tuesday it meant starting Garrett Cooper at DH against Padres starter Joe Musgrove, even though it set up a righty-righty matchup. Counsell explained that decision stemmed from finding a good spot to work in Cooper even if the opponent isn’t starting a left-hander.
“We’ve got some good options there,” Counsell said. “We also have an everyday set of guys that are doing a really nice job as well. And we’ve had enough off days kind of spaced around this first part of the season where I’m not too worried about getting the regulars a rest.”
