Cubs first baseman Michael Busch heads to the clubhouse after striking out as the Cubs lose to the Braves 3-0 on May 23, 2024, at Wrigley Field. he would be getting the ball roughly 15 hours later against the Atlanta Braves for his first home start. The short notice and revolving usage between the bullpen and rotation didn’t faze Brown. He tossed four shutout innings Thursday in a 3-0 Cubs loss, holding the Braves to one hit while walking two and striking out six on 66 pitches.
The Cubs had their chances during a 2-5 homestand in which they failed to score more than four runs in any game.The Cubs have faced tough starting pitchers over the last two weeks, but their offensive production can’t continuously be at no-hit levels. Although there have been some encouraging expected metrics that point to unluckiness for a few Cubs hitters, especially Christopher Morel, they need more consistency, in particular from Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki, who haven’t been able to pick up where they left off since returning this month from the injured list.“The balls we did hit hard, whether they’re hit to the wrong place or the wrong trajectory, ultimately we didn’t do enough offensively,” manager Craig Counsell said.
The Cubs desperately need some sort of spark from their veteran hitters such as Happ. Now he needs to show his production wasn’t a one-series anomaly.Cubs reliever Porter Hodge delivers in the ninth inning against the Braves on May 22, 2024, at Wrigley Field. It was Hodge’s major-league debut. The Cubs desperately needed relief help as injuries mounted during their last trip, prompting Hodge to get the call every player hopes for.
“I mean, that’s really how you do it and I think that’s how he should do it and that’s how he will process it. It’s really good feedback for him. It’s confidence-boosting for him and then you’ve got to go on to the next challenge.”