Ben Brown News: Thrives in bulk role Saturday

Brown tossed six scoreless innings but did not factor into the decision Saturday against the Reds. He allowed a hit and a walk, while striking out nine.

Brown followed opener Drew Pomeranz, and the former turned in arguably his best performance of the year, though he couldn't snag the win as the Cubs scored all their runs in the eighth inning after Brown had departed. The righty matched his season high in strikeouts and innings pitched, and he lowered his ERA to 5.72 in the process. Brown still has some work to do with his ERA after allowing a total of 14 runs over his previous two outings, though Saturday's performances was a clear step in the right direction for the 25-year-old. He'll look to carry some momentum into his next scheduled start, which is tentatively penciled in for Friday against a tough Detroit squad.