Unlikely Bullpen Heroes
Cubs Secure Dramatic 10-Inning Win Over Brewers, Bullpen Delivers Unexpected Victory
The Chicago Cubs escaped Milwaukee with a 4-3, 10-inning win over the Brewers on Sunday, capping a 6-1 road trip on the backs of relievers most fans can barely name. Chicago Tribune reported that waiver claims Bryse Wilson and Ryan Rolison did the bulk of the pitching work, keeping a depleted Cubs staff afloat during one of the team's most chaotic weeks of the season.
The win lifts Chicago's record to 12-4 in their last 16 games — a sharp turnaround from a 7-22 stretch earlier this year that was the worst mark in all of baseball. The Cubs now sit at 45-38 overall, just 6.5 games behind the first-place Brewers in the NL Central.
Wilson and Rolison Carry a Rotation-Less Cubs Staff
With their entire five-man starting rotation on the injured list, the Cubs turned Sunday's game into a bullpen affair. Ryan Rolison opened the game, and Bryse Wilson — claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies just four days earlier on June 24 — followed with 4.1 scoreless innings of bulk relief, according to NBC Sports.
Wilson's quick debut drew attention given his inflated 6.29 ERA in Triple-A, but he delivered when it counted. Rolison, a former Rockies draft pick once written off by the league, now carries a 5-1 record and a 1.82 ERA in 2026. "I did a really good job of slowing the game down," Rolison said after the win, per CHGO Sports.
Ben Brown Injury Opens a Dangerous Rotation Gap
The Cubs' pitching crisis deepened earlier in the week when starter Ben Brown was placed on the 15-day injured list with a neck stress reaction. Brown told Marquee Sports Network the injury is "identical" to the one that ended his 2024 season early — a troubling sign for a pitcher who held a 1.85 ERA before going down.
Brown joins Cade Horton, Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, and Jameson Taillon on the IL. The Cubs' best-case scenario, according to Heavy Sports, is a mid-August return for Brown. Until then, manager Craig Counsell must keep piecing together bullpen games with limited Triple-A depth behind him.
Pete Crow-Armstrong Delivers the Winning Blow in Extra Innings
The game-winning moment came in the 10th inning, when Pete Crow-Armstrong drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI double. Crow-Armstrong leads the Cubs in 2026 with 17 home runs and a .279 batting average, according to StatMuse. It was his second walk-off contribution of the road trip after his 10th-inning RBI double against the Mets on June 25.
Manager Craig Counsell kept his postgame remarks simple. "It's a win, and that's the big thing," Counsell told 104.3 The Score. "You'd be great to pick how every win goes... but a win is a win." The Cubs head home Monday to face the San Diego Padres with fresh momentum and a threadbare but battle-tested pitching staff.
A Chaotic Week Shaped by Rain, Waivers, and Roster Scrambles
The week began with a bizarre "rainout without rain" at Citi Field on June 22. Despite clear skies, the game was postponed — forcing the Cubs into a split doubleheader against the Mets on June 24, per MLB.com. Chicago-based reporters called it a scheduling failure that put extra strain on an already exhausted pitching staff.
The Cubs swept all four games against the Mets anyway, then won two of three in Milwaukee. Jed Hoyer's front office leaned heavily on waiver-wire moves to survive, a strategy that MLB Trade Rumors says may keep the Cubs as cautious trade deadline buyers — even as they push for a Wild Card spot in a loaded NL field.
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