Faithful, Too: "Games 78L and 79L - At Least Ben Brown's Gone"
Added 2025-06-25 02:43:15 +0000 UTCWatching the first six innings of Monday's eventual loss to the rival Cards was a true representation of that analogy I've used several times this season regarding Ben Brown. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In his first 3 2/3 innings pitched he gave up zero runs on only two hits and struck out three. Over his next (and last) inning and 1/3, he gave up eight runs on seven hits and walked two. Holy shit. Oh, and he gave up four, yes, four 2-run homers in that inning and 1/3. The Cardinals had hit only 74 homers as a team going into yesterday's match-up and hit 5% of their homers in an inning of baseball. They would win 8-2.
Look, I'm sure Brown's a nice guy, but it's over for him, and for the time being, the Cubs agreed. He's been sent back to the Minors as Shota readies his return on Thursday. Can't say it's too soon. If we see him again before the season ends, something has gone terribly wrong.
Or should I say, something else will have to have gone terribly wrong, because it's going terribly wrong for the Cubbies who fell tonight to the Cards yet again in a slugfest 8-7, falling to 1-4 since the Curse of Slammin' Sammy was implemented. Bad juju, indeed. PCA caught a deep fly ball in center with only one out thinking there were two, lollygagged, and allowed the Cards to tag and score all the way from second. That kind of night. Nico hit his first homer of the season while Tucker and Seiya combined for six hits apiece (the latter hit yet another homer and is now tied for the NL lead in RBI's), but it was all for naught.
Writing this with such drama and despair reminds me of so many passages from O'Nan and King's own Faithful. They were despondent so many times as they wrote their way through what would become such a magical season for the Red Sox. Their faith paid off. I was ecstatic only a week ago after that perfect PCA game against the Brewers and here I am now. Yikes. It's a reminder that the baseball Gods can be cruel...but they can also be sweet. A long way to go with inevitable hiccups.
That's what I hope this cursed stretch is. A hiccup, and not a total choke job.
