Cubs Lose 1.85 Pitcher For Rest Of Season

The Chicago Cubs have been waiting for Ben Brown to return from his neck injury, but his season is over, according to Cubs insider Taylor McGregor .

Brown was trying to come back and provide some much-needed help for the Cubs pitching staff. He originally went on the injured list in June. However, after a bridge camp game in late August, he once again started experiencing symptoms of his neck injury.

That setback ultimately sealed his fate. Without Brown coming back, the Cubs will have to rely on the arms they have and potentially some other returning arms. Shelby Miller, Edward Cabrera, Javier Assad and Justin Steele could still come and save the Cubs' pitching staff.

The biggest issue for the Cubs has been the bullpen. The Cubs bullpen has a 4.02 ERA on the season, and in the second half, the bullpen has allowed 1.22 home runs per nine innings, ranked eighth-worst in baseball.

Brown was a swingman who could have started games if the Cubs needed him as well. He had a 1.85 ERA in 20 games this season. He had made eight starts and covered a total of 68 innings. He was having a great season, bouncing back from his 5.92 ERA last year.

The Cubs are suddenly in danger of falling out of the postseason entirely. They have lost 12 of their last 19 games and hold a 4 1/2 game lead in the wild card race. Winning the division seems extremely unlikely right now, as they sit nine games back of the Milwaukee Brewers. If they do not start playing better baseball soon, their lead in the wild card race will evaporate as the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres close in.