{"id":704102,"date":"2026-05-20T16:18:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/704102\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T16:18:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:18:15","slug":"the-rundown-cubs-fall-out-of-first-brown-holds-his-own-against-misiorowski-schwarber-chasing-70","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/704102\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rundown: Cubs Fall Out of First, Brown Holds His Own Against Misiorowski, Schwarber Chasing 70 –"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe man in the street dragging his feet won\u2019t wanna hear the bad news.\u201d \u2013 Only a Fool Would Say That<\/a> by Steely Dan<\/p>\n

The Cubs lost 5-2 to the Brewers, their eight defeat in 10 games<\/a>, and surrendered first place in the process. Milwaukee\u2019s bunch of no-names, led by Jacob Misiorowski<\/a> and Brice Turang<\/a>, surged to the top of the NL Central thanks to an 8-2 run that lifted them out of last place in a little more than a week. Chicago dropped to third, four percentage points behind the shockingly good Cardinals. When was the last time a third-place team had two 10-game winning streaks in its first 50 games?<\/p>\n

The lone bright spot in lost night\u2019s loss was Ben Brown<\/a>, who finally looks like the starter Jed Hoyer hoped for when he acquired him for David Robertson<\/a> in 2022. The 26-year-old righty gave up three runs on seven hits in five innings of work, but recorded six punchouts and nine groundouts in a very good effort. He\u2019s allowed just four earned runs in 17.2 innings of work (2.04 ERA) over the last three weeks, which is almost Misiorowski-like. Brown wasn\u2019t the stopper the Cubs needed, but it wasn\u2019t for lack of effort.<\/p>\n

The good news is that Chicago can reclaim first place with a win tonight and a Cardinals loss. Edward Cabrera<\/a> takes the bump, and he\u2019ll be opposed by Kyle Harrison<\/a>. The Cubs will host the Astros for a weekend set after an off day tomorrow. Expect Houston (20-30) to feel the wrath of Chicago\u2019s frustrations in that series.<\/p>\n

Cubs News & Notes<\/p>\n

Ball Four<\/p>\n

James Wood<\/a> hit an inside-the-park grand slam that epitomizes a Mets season that\u2019s gone off the rails. Chico Walker<\/a> (1991) is the only Cub to accomplish that feat. Ron Karkovice<\/a> did it with the White Sox in 1990<\/a>, and Jim Essian<\/a> had one in \u201979 as a member of the A\u2019s.<\/p>\n

JAMES WOOD INSIDE-THE-PARK GRAND SLAM! pic.twitter.com\/8P0K4jhApZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB (@MLB) May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Central Intelligence<\/p>\n

How About That!<\/p>\n

The White Sox are becoming a bigger story in Chicago<\/a> than the Cubs.<\/p>\n

Kyle Schwarber<\/a> is on pace to hit 66 home runs<\/a> this season and could hit 70.<\/p>\n

Aaron Judge<\/a> will make history if he hits at least 50 homers this season<\/a>. It would be his fifth time, and the Yankee slugger is on pace to belt 54 bombs. Babe Ruth<\/a> hit that benchmark four times, as did Sammy Sosa<\/a> and Mark McGwire<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Tigers are struggling without Tarik Skubal<\/a>, but they\u2019re still unlikely to trade<\/a> the ace.<\/p>\n

Mets pitching prospect Zach Thornton<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0expected to debut<\/a> against the Nationals today. The lefty is a borderline top-10 prospect in New York\u2019s system.<\/p>\n

Gerrit Cole<\/a> will make his 2026 debut<\/a> against the Rays on Friday. Cole is recovering from Tommy John<\/a> surgery and hasn\u2019t pitched for the Yankees since the 2024 World Series.<\/p>\n

Apropos of Nothing<\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s failure to draft and develop top-of-rotation starters will be the gaping hole in what has otherwise been an outstanding run during the Epstein-Hoyer years. Dylan Cease<\/a> never pitched for the Cubs, and Cade Horton<\/a> may never stay healthy enough to break the dubious 15-year streak. Let\u2019s see how Justin Steele<\/a> does once he returns, but the Cubs have nothing close to the likes of Misiorowski, Burns, or Paul Skenes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are 20 MLB teams with a homegrown ace or an emerging one. The Cubs, however, have mostly preferred college hitters. The Epstein and Hoyer front offices succeeded with that type of talent in the first round of the draft, going all the way back to Kris Bryant<\/a>. Shaw, Ian Happ<\/a>, and Nico Hoerner<\/a> are among Chicago\u2019s best current players.<\/p>\n

Extra Innings<\/p>\n

I agree with Happ, but for the love of Mike, stop leaving so many runners stranded.<\/p>\n

“If you would have told us this was going to be our record at this point in the season, I think everyone would have signed up for it. Move on from here and attack tomorrow.”<\/p>\n

Ian Happ and the Cubs are ready to reset and take care of business tomorrow. pic.twitter.com\/Hrr6AosfJo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

They Said It<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the games we play [against Milwaukee] seem like they\u2019re really close. I recall just the battles the last couple years \u2014 even in the postseason, obviously \u2014 but just the regular-season battles that seem a little bit like everybody\u2019s a little more on edge. This is getting us better as a team, though.\u201d \u2013 Brown
\n\u201cI was proud of Ben. They\u2019ve got a lot of guys swinging it well and I thought Ben made some pretty good pitches \u2014 even on some hits. But he got in some trouble and he made some big [pitches].\u201d \u2013 Craig Counsell<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday Walk-Up Song<\/p>\n

Big Country dropped this banger 43 years ago today. The song is ranked No. 40<\/a> on the VH-1 Top 100 One-Hit Wonder list.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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