The Colorado Rockies have used this lost season to give prospects a taste of the majors, and McCade Brown is the latest to get called up.
Brown, who made his big-league debut at Pittsburgh last weekend, will make his first start in Denver when Colorado hosts the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night.
Brown (0-1, 9.82 ERA) will square off against Chicago’s Javier Assad (0-1, 3.86) in a battle of right-handers.
The Cubs won 11-7 in the opener Friday night in a type of game for which Coors Field is known. The teams combined for 29 hits, six home runs and 17 extra-base hits. Chicago’s Dansby Swanson hit two homers and drove in six runs.
Brown was the 13th Rockies player this season to reach the majors, which is a franchise record. Colorado has promoted 25 players over the past two seasons and is headed for its third straight 100-loss campaign and the worst record in club history.
Brown was a third-round pick in the 2021 draft but underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and pitched in 12 minor league games (10 starts) in 2024.
Brown struggled in his first start, lasting just 3 2/3 innings in a 4-0 loss to the Pirates. He allowed all four runs, walked three and struck out just two over 75 pitches. He was honest in his self-evaluation of his outing.
“I’m frustrated with my performance, falling behind in counts,” he said after the game. “There’s room for improvement.”
Interim manager Warren Schaeffer was encouraged by Brown’s start at Pittsburgh.
“He looked poised. He looked calm,” Schaeffer said. “I’m happy for him. To get that first one out of the way was special for him, and we’ll move forward.”
The Cubs have had to patch together their rotation that has been hit hard by injuries. Jameson Taillon’s return to the injured list with a left groin strain led to Chicago recalling Assad from Triple-A last week. Assad tossed six innings of one-run, two-hit ball in a non-decision against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 22.
Assad will make his fourth start of the season and will face the Rockies for the sixth time in his career. He is 2-1 with a 5.06 ERA in his previous five appearances (four starts) against Colorado.
In addition to Taillon’s second stint on the injured list this season, the Cubs are without fellow pitchers Justin Steele and Michael Soroka. Steele was lost for the year in April, while Soroka, who was acquired at the deadline from Washington, has been out since Aug. 5 with a right shoulder strain.
Despite those setbacks, Cubs manager Craig Counsell is happy with how his rotation has performed.
“We’ve pitched well,” Counsell told reporters in San Francisco. “We’ve pitched very well out of the starting rotation, no question about it. Everybody’s responsible for that. Each five guys are taking pretty equal turn in that, and it’s made a consistent baseball team.”
–Field Level Media
