Cubs make eye-catching change to the starting rotation ahead of weekend series

After spending last weekend at Great American Ball Park, the Chicago Cubs welcome the Cincinnati Reds to Wrigley Field for a three-game set, starting Friday afternoon at the Friendly Confines. Ahead of the series opener, we got a bit of a surprise, with the team tweaking its projected starting rotation.

Early Friday morning, I thought it was odd that on cubs.com, the probables had shifted to TBD. Shortly thereafter, we found out why. The team is skipping Ben Brown this time around and shielding him from facing a Reds ballclub that hung eight runs on him his last time out, an eventual come-from-behind 11-8 Cubs win.

Following that poor outing, Jed Hoyer and Craig Counsell voiced support of the 25-year-old right-hander - and it didn't go unnoticed by Brown.

“It’s probably the first time in my career I’ve felt I’m being given a shot despite the results. I feel like I’ve always kind of had my back against the wall, just from where I came from,” Brown told Marquee Sports Network. “To consistently have people come up to me and just remind me of the things I’m doing well, and push me to do better and give me opportunities — I’m so grateful to even have a locker today.”

Cubs' pitching depth is being tested by injuries early this year

To be frank, the Cubs aren't exactly loaded with alternatives right now. Javier Assad is nowhere near returning, nor is Shota Imanaga. With Justin Steele done for the year, Counsell is doing what he can with what he has. Top pitching prospect Cade Horton was a nice shot in the arm and continues to learn how to pitch at the big-league level on the fly, but there's no one else near that caliber knocking on the door at Iowa.

They could have Chris Flexen make a spot start in place of Brown. The veteran right-hander has ben solid out of the Cubs' bullpen (0 ER/12.1 IP) and carried a 1.16 ERA in five starts at Triple-A prior to being called up, but we'll have to see how Counsell and the team decide to proceed here. Either way, it's worth noting: Brown has a role - and an important one - to play on this team, so don't expect the Cubs to throw the towel in on him, even with this move to scratch him from his scheduled start.