PHILADELPHIA — Ben Brown knew something needed to change.
The Chicago Cubs’ right-hander surrendered 14 runs in a two-start stretch against the Miami Marlins and Cincinnati Reds three weeks ago, failing to get out of the fifth in games that were each bookended by rough innings.
Brown followed with two of his best starts of the season by allowing just two runs, two walks and striking out 16 over 13 innings versus the Reds and Detroit Tigers. They were the type of outings that show why the Cubs believe Brown can be a big-league starter. It took some self-reflection and trying to understand why a poor inning or two could potentially derail his starts.
“I knew I was so close and this would be such a waste if I continued to pitch this way, that was the biggest frustration with those two in Miami and Cincinnati,” Brown told the Tribune. “There were innings that were really good, obviously. So how do we get over that hurdle? The difference between those outings and what I’ve been able to do was so small, but so great. That was the determination. Like, there’s something that’s there, that needs to be done. I just don’t know exactly how to do it yet, but I’m going to figure it out.”
There have been mechanical tweaks in addition to trying to use his changeup more against lefties, but the mental part of the game was a crucial component Brown needed to tackle. Sometimes it manifests in overthinking or preparing too much. Brown has been focusing on slowing the game down, slowing his heart rate and adrenaline down while understanding what kind of competitor he is and how to best harness that.
“Definitely a little bit of an over-anxiousness of the game, or putting too much weight on it, rather than just acknowledging that it’s stressful, it’s a thing, but taking care of business,” Brown said. “And there was probably too much on my mind, rather than slowing my heart rate down and going out there, competing and pitching my game.”
Brown’s fastball-curveball combination can be devastating when his command is locked in. Then there are days like Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies when everything appeared to be a grind for the 25-year-old as he faced the organization that drafted him. The Phillies tagged Brown for three runs in the first inning and ultimately put up six runs and eight hits against him in the Cubs’ 7-2 loss to drop the series.
“There’s going to be outings like that,” Brown said. “You’ve just got to bounce back and give the team a better chance to win.”
Brown managed to get 5 2/3 innings, which helped a very thin bullpen get through the game.
“He just wasn’t sharp today,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I don’t think he ever got to a place where he felt good with his fastball and his breaking ball, and it led to a general kind of lack of command.. You saw some big misses and then when he needed to, just not getting balls to good spots, and they made him pay for that.”
Brown has been working to make his changeup a viable third pitch that other teams must anticipate and respect. He switched to a spiked grip earlier this season, like the one Jameson Taillon has used since spring training. He believes he’s throwing the pitch with conviction now and seeing the good analytical numbers behind it helps him buy into its effectiveness.
“It’s like, OK, I can throw this and it will be a workable pitch,” Brown said. “I hope that teams start to think about it and consider it. Whether they do it or not, I’m still going to throw it and continue to throw it, but, yeah, eventually, it’d be great to just be known as someone that can put a wrinkle in there, whether it’s to the lefties or righties, it’ll just protect everything else.”
For Brown’s changeup to be taken seriously by opposing hitters, it will take more than just an increase in usage, which in Wednesday’s outing accounted for 18% of his 100 pitches thrown, all but one to a Phillies lefty. The key, though, is making sure his changeups are competitive out of hand. Too often that wasn’t the case versus the Phillies, with five of the eight clearly balls by the time they approached the zone.
“You throw a changeup, but it’s down immediately, or it’s off the plate immediately, it’s a take, so even a good one, even if you’re throwing it at a high percentage, they have to be competitive pitches,” Counsell said before the game. “And I think that’s what he’s doing a better job of is making them competitive.”
