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Brown allowed one hit and issued one walk while striking out seven batters over four scoreless innings in a no-decision against Atlanta on Thursday.
Brown logged his second straight outing as a starter after making his first 12 appearances of the campaign out of the bullpen. As in his first start, he pitched four scoreless frames, but this time he was arguably even more impressive with seven punchouts while giving up just one hit (a single) against one of the league's top offenses. Brown tossed 65 pitches Thursday after being limited to 46 in his previous start. The right-hander is in the rotation because of injuries to Matthew Boyd (knee) and Jordan Wicks (elbow), among others, but if he continues to push up his pitch count and perform well, Brown may not leave the rotation even when the team's injured hurlers get healthy.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Awarded another start
Rotowire
Brown is slated to start Thursday's game against Atlanta at Truist Park.
Brown made his first 12 appearances of the season out of the Chicago bullpen, but he was called upon to start on short notice this past Friday in the wake of Matthew Boyd's (knee) surprise placement on the injured list. Though he wasn't fully stretched out for a starting role and was pitching on three days' rest, Brown delivered a strong outing on the road, holding the Rangers scoreless over four innings while striking out three and permitting no hits and one walk. While the Cubs are still likely to monitor his workload carefully in his second start, Brown should be able to build on the 46 pitches he tossed against Texas and reach the five innings he would need to qualify for a win. Another solid showing in Atlanta would likely help Brown solidify a rotation spot on a longer-term basis while neither Boyd nor Justin Steele (elbow) are close to returning from the IL.
Cubs' Ben Brown: Goes four scoreless in start Friday
Rotowire
Brown didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Rangers, allowing one walk with three strikeouts across four scoreless and hitless innings.
Brown was forced into starting duties Friday after Matthew Boyd (knee) was placed on the injured list this week. After pitching exclusively out of the bullpen prior to this start, Brown was limited to 46 pitches against Texas. He lowered his ERA to an impressive 1.82 with a 27:9 K:BB across 29.2 innings. After making 15 starts last season, it shouldn't take long for Brown to build his arm back up to handle a starter's workload while the Cubs navigate their rotation injuries.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Receiving look as starter Friday
Rotowire
Brown is slated to start Friday's series opener against the Rangers in Arlington, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Brown will be stepping into the rotation spot vacated by Matthew Boyd (knee) after the latter was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday. The right-hander has operated exclusively as a bullpen arm this season, posting a 2.10 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 24 strikeouts over 25.2 innings. Brown has yet to exceed 50 pitches in any of his 12 appearances to date, so he'll likely have some limitations from a workload standpoint as he makes his first start since July 27, 2025. Over his 15 starts with the Cubs last season, Brown turned in a 6.30 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 75.2 innings.
Brown earned a save against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, striking out one batter in two perfect innings.
After Shota Imanaga gave Chicago seven scoreless frames, Brown was brought in to preserve a 2-0 lead in the eighth. The right-hander retired the side in order on 13 pitches in that frame and remained in the game for the ninth, when he again set down the side in order, this time on 11 pitches, to pick up his first save of the season. Brown was a popular pick to take over closer duties after Daniel Palencia went on the IL with a lat injury April 17, but this was his first save chance since that time. Brown has certainly displayed the stuff to be a ninth-inning option -- he has a 1.82 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB over 24.2 frames on the campaign. However, Palencia is on track to be activated in the coming days, so Saturday may end up being a rare save chance for Brown.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Continues to pitch well
Rotowire
Brown tossed 1.2 scoreless innings of relief with a strikeout to earn a hold in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Padres.
The Cubs are dealing with injuries to Daniel Palencia (lat), Riley Martin (elbow), Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Hunter Harvey (triceps), but Brown has helped stabilize the team's bullpen. The lanky righty has a stellar 1.99 ERA and 22 strikeouts across 22.2 innings so far. As he demonstrated Wednesday, Brown can also give Chicago multiple innings in relief, which has been a valuable asset in his 10 appearances this season.
Brown (1-0) earned the win in relief Wednesday against the Phillies after tossing 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up three hits but striking out five.
Brown tossed 28 of his 37 pitches for strikes, and even though he gave up a double to Trea Turner in his first at-bat, he immediately retired Bryce Harper to close out the fifth inning. Brown also allowed baserunners in the following two innings, but he got the job done after striking out five of the final seven batters he faced. This was Brown's fourth consecutive scoreless outing, a stretch in which he's posted a 9:2 K:BB while allowing seven hits through 8.1 innings.
Brown tossed 3.1 scoreless innings of relief in Tuesday's 2-0 loss to the Angels. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out five.
Brown finished up the game for the Cubs, and he did enough to keep his team in the contest late but couldn't get any run support to potentially earn his first win of the year. The righty reliever has now covered exactly 3.1 innings in both of his two relief outings so far this season, and he's allowed two runs while striking out eight. Brown can rack up strikeouts in a hurry, which would make him someone worth keeping an eye on if he were to slide into Chicago's rotation. For now, he's mostly off the fantasy radar as a long reliever.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Mops up innings Opening Day
Rotowire
Brown allowed two runs on three hits across 3.1 innings in Thursday's 10-4 loss to the Nationals. He walked one and struck out three.
The righty reliever was forced into early action after Chicago starter Matthew Boyd covered only 3.2 innings in a rough outing. Brown served up a two-run home run to Jacob Young to account for the runs against him. After making 23 regular-season starts for the Cubs across the last two seasons, it looks like Brown will handle a long-relief role out of the bullpen in 2026. He should be a decent source of strikeouts, though his overall fantasy value will be capped as a reliever.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Makes Opening Day roster
Rotowire
Brown will be on the Cubs' Opening Day roster, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
Brown's last two Cactus League appearances came in relief and totaled three innings, and it's in the bullpen where he's expected to open the 2026 campaign. He could be used as a multi-inning reliever initially, but Brown has the ability to work his way into a more integral role, either as a high-leverage bullpen option or as a starting pitcher if a need arises.
