The Chicago Cubs are coming off a split in Arizona where it was a mixed-bag worth of performances from their offense and pitching staff.
Three-fourths of the Cubs’ starting pitchers showed up and did their job of keeping the team in the ballgame, but the bullpen was the one that cost them the series finale on Sunday.
The Cubs sit 2-4 to start the year and will travel to Sacramento to play the Athletics, who will have their season opener in a minor-league ballpark.
Baseball will see games played in two minor-league ballparks this season, with the Tampa Bay Rays being the other playing in George Steinbrenner Field, the home for the New York Yankees spring games.
The Cubs will send right-hander Ben Brown to the mound tonight for his first start of the season and look to improve from his outing in Japan, where it was a disaster.
Brown looks to have a bounce-back start for the Chicago Cubs
Brown’s appearance in Japan came in relief, where he pitched 2.2 innings, allowing four hits, three runs, two earned, and walking three batters.
Brown’s biggest problem was his lack of command, which contributed to him walking three hitters and allowed the game to spiral out of control.
Brown has worked in relief in his young career but has been a more effective starter. Last season, before having his season cut short due to a neck injury, Brown had a 3.23 ERA, limiting hitters to a .180 batting average in eight starts (39.0 innings) as a starter.
What Brown needs to do to be effective
Brown’s first task will be to limit the walks and traffic on the basepaths. The Athletics have a few guys on their roster, like Lawrence Butler, who are speed threats and will run as soon as they get on.
Along with Butler, there’s Brent Rooker to think about, who is the A’s main power threat and is coming off a career-high season in homers (39) and RBIs (112), which netted him a lucrative contract extension.
The A’s have a few young guys like Max Muncy, Tyler Soderstrom, and Jacob Wilson who should be looked after, but Butler and Rooker are the main threats here.
Brown will need to utilize his changeup more in this game and not rely solely on his fastball and knuckle curve to get outs. Flashing his changeup now and again, even to righties could prove effective and help give him the strength and get some length.
Another test for the Cubs
The Cubs are being tested to start this year, as the Athletics could prove to be a sneaky team this season and possibly make the postseason.
The Athletics will send right-hander Joey Este, who is making his season debut.
Estes is a six-pitch pitcher but is primarily a fastball/sweeper guy who will show a slider and a changeup to get hitters off the fastball/sweeper.
The Cubs will need to spit on all of Estes’s other pitchers and focus on hitting the fastball and sweeper to win the game. Hopefully, a strong outing by Brown and the bullpen can rebound and eke out a win.
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