One number Cubs fans should pay attention to from Ben Brown's latest start

During his outing against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, Cubs right-hander Ben Brown proved that he can be a vital contributor in the starting rotation.

Brown was able to limit the Marlins to two earned runs and five hits while walking nobody and striking out six hitters over 5.1 innings. But Brown could have easily gone much deeper in the game since he only had 72 pitches when Cubs Manager Craig Counsell pulled him out of the game. That low pitch count shows how effective Brown can be as a starter. 56 of those 72 pitches were strikes, and he looked confident despite allowing a bit of traffic on the bases.

But after getting into a slight jam with runners at first and third with one out, and a 2-2 tie, Counsell opted to bring in southpaw Caleb Thielbar to face left-handed hitter Kyle Stowers. Thielbar was able to retire Stowers and Nick Fortes without surrendering a run, so the plan worked, but it would have been nice to see Brown get a bit more leash. Especially since he was facing the last-place Marlins, who have one of the worst run-scoring lineups in baseball. In this case, it was probably an example of Counsell liking the matchup for Thielbar than doubting Brown's ability.

Can Ben Brown stay in the rotation?

Brown's 4.75 ERA looks a bit high, but he has been much more effective in his three starts in the month of May. Before the game with Miami, Brown completed six shutout innings and recorded a quality start on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers. He also limited a talented San Francisco Giants lineup to three earned runs over five innings on May 7.

The 25-year-old is quickly stringing together some solid outings after his six-run blowup against the Phillies on April 25. And the Cubs need him to continue going deep in games with the starting pitching depth dealing with injuries. Shota Imanaga will likely be on the shelf until June, and Javier Assad's nagging oblique injury could keep him out until July. Until they return, Colin Rea and Cade Horton are needed to fill out the rotation, pushing Brown higher up the depth chart.

Brown seems to get into trouble when he doesn't have command of his knuckle curveball. Since that is his main strikeout pitch, and his only other delivery besides the fastball, Brown has little margin for error when he doesn't have control of the curveball. Unless he can develop a third pitch, Brown could be destined for a bullpen role in the future thanks to his limited pitch mix.

This may not be a bad thing since Brown's high velocity could play well out of the pen, and the Cubs might need him there later in the season. If Assad and Imanaga come back strong and Horton pitches well enough to warrant staying with the Cubs, Brown going to the bullpen is a serious possibility at some point this summer. But for now, pitching as far as he can during his starts is the goal.