Cubs' ninth straight win overshadowed by another injury this team can't afford

In a game that had just about everything - including another strong start from Edward Cabrera and home runs from Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki - the Chicago Cubs overcame the Philadelphia Phillies scoring five times after the sixth inning and sending the game to extras, thanks to a walk-off knock from Dansby Swanson to give the team its ninth-straight win.

Unfortunately, that 'everything' leading up to the exciting win included yet another Cubs pitching injury.

After allowing a pinch-hit, game-tying home run to Aroldis Garcia in the ninth, closer Caleb Thielbar left mid-at-bat against Trea Turner with what appeared to be a lower body (potentially hamstring) injury, further decimating an already extremely depleted Cubs pitching staff.

Craig Counsell turned to rookie Riley Martin, who impressively held the Phillies off the board in the ninth despite having two on and nobody out, but we're not here to re-hash how things ended (as awesome as things turned out). We're talking about how losing Thielbar is a brutal loss for a team that's managed to inexplicably get its season back on track while dealing with the rash of injuries.

With Daniel Palencia, Caleb Thielbar out - who's the Cubs' closer?

Boy, I gotta say: I don't love the options left on the table at this point. Daniel Palencia could be back in a couple of weeks, but as we all have been constantly reminded this month, take nothing for granted.

There's one guy who could finally get a look in the ninth and he might be the most controversial piece of the Cubs' bullpen - Ben Brown. The big right-hander has been very sharp this year, pitching to a 2.37 ERA in 19 1/3 innings, largely in a multi-inning role. His limited pitch mix has expanded this year and he's been effective far more often than not - his raw stuff, though, is what makes me love him in this role.

Brown ranks well in barrel %, xERA and fastball velocity - and, well, I like closers that limit hard contact and can reach back for something extra when it matters most. At this point, I don't see another in-house option. Ben Brown - welcome to the ninth inning.

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