Ben Brown's move to starting rotation continuing to pay dividends for Cubs

Ben Brown is still providing relief for the Chicago Cubs. Only now, he's doing it from a starting role.

On Saturday, the third-year pro continued an excellent transition from the bullpen to starter, pitching seven superb innings in a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Brown threw a season-high seven innings and allowed one earned run on three hits with six strikeouts and only one walk on an efficient 82 pitches. It was a much-needed outing for the reeling Cubs, who entered Saturday third in the NL Central, having lost 11 of their last 13 games.

Ben Brown shines in fifth start as Cubs get road win at Cardinals

After a rough 2025 season, Brown opened 2026 in the bullpen and was solid in 12 appearances in mostly middle relief, allowing a 2.10 ERA with 24 strikeouts and eight walks across 25 2/3 innings. He's been even better since moving to the starting rotation out of necessity following injuries to Matthew Boyd and Edward Cabrera. Following Saturday, he has a 1.73 ERA in five starts, allowing five earned runs in 26 innings with 29 strikeouts and seven walks.

During his win against the rival Cardinals, manager Craig Counsell praised Brown's ability to find the strike zone, something MLB.com noted back in early April after his first two appearances, when his fastball hit the strike zone at a 66.7 percent rate, up from 59 percent the previous season, when he struggled with a 5.92 ERA in 25 games, including 15 starts.