The wall has claimed another victim. Chicago Cubs reliever Colten Brewer was placed on the 60-day injured list Sunday after breaking his left (non-pitching) hand punching a wall following a rough outing Saturday, the team announced. Righty Hunter Bigge was called up in a corresponding move.
Kyle Hendricks exited Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels after two innings with back tightness. Brewer was the first reliever out of the bullpen, and the Angels tagged him for three runs (one earned) in two-thirds of an inning. He committed a throwing error on a potential 1-6-3 double play ball, and things snowballed from there. Brewer retired only two of the eight batters he faced.
Brewer, 31, has allowed 16 runs in 20 2/3 innings this season, and he’s given up at least one run in four of his last five outings. Lefty Tyler Anderson shut the Cubs down Saturday, fanning 10 in eight shutout innings, but Chicago’s bullpen has been shaky all year, and Brewer & Co. let a winnable game get out of hand early Saturday.
These are frustrating times for the Cubs. Since starting 17-9, they are 24-40 and have the National League’s worst record. They are in the NL Central basement at 41-49 and are six games behind the third wild-card spot with seven teams ahead of them. Rather than take a step toward contention this year, the Cubs may be sellers at the trade deadline.
Bigge, 26, was a 12th-round pick in the 2019 draft. He has a 0.77 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 11 1/3 Triple-A innings this year. The Cubs and Angels wrap up their three-game series Sunday afternoon. Chicago will then go on the road to play the Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals before the All-Star break.
Cubs reliever Colten Brewer punched a dugout wall after getting pulled in the third inning of Saturday’s loss to the Los Angeles Angels. His weekend only got worse from there. The right-hander later learned he fractured his left hand. The club placed him on the 60-day injured list before Sunday’s series finale.
“My frustration got the best of me,” Brewer said, adding he had no intention of injuring himself. He entered Saturday’s game in relief of Kyle Hendricks, who left with back tightness and the Cubs trailing 2-0, becoming the first of five Cubs relievers. Brewer gave up three runs — one earned — hit a batter and committed a throwing error in two-thirds of an inning in what eventually became a 7-0 loss.
“When those things happen, you know you screwed up,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said Sunday. “It’s not who he is, but it’s a mistake that he made.”
Brewer isn’t the only pitcher to punch his way onto the injured list this season. Texas Rangers reliever Brock Burke landed there after breaking his non-throwing hand while punching a wall earlier this season following a poor outing. In 2022, Astros reliever Phil Maton broke his right pinkie when he punched a locker in frustration after Houston’s regular-season finale, causing him to miss the postseason.
Brewer has appeared in 16 games this season for the Cubs, posting a 5.66 ERA with no decisions. Chicago recalled righty Hunter Bigge from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move. Bigge is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA and six saves in 11 games with Iowa.
The Chicago Cubs placed right-handed pitcher Colten Brewer on the 60-day injured list Sunday because of a broken left hand after he punched the dugout wall in frustration the day before. Brewer entered Saturday’s game in relief of starter Kyle Hendricks in the third inning with the Cubs down 2-0 to the Los Angeles Angels. He got just two outs before being lifted and was charged with three runs (one earned) on two hits, two walks and a hit batter. The Angels went on to win 7-0.
“My intention wasn’t to break my hand,” Brewer told reporters Sunday. “I’ll get frustrated and make mistakes. That’s no excuse. There’s a lot I can prove out there, that I’m willing not to do stuff like that. Emotions get the best of us sometimes.”
The six-year veteran, in his first season with the Cubs, has made 16 relief appearances. The 31-year-old has no decisions to go with a 5.66 ERA, a save and a blown save, 22 strikeouts and nine walks.
“When those things happen, you know you screwed up,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “That was the conversation. Then there’s consequences for the mistakes you make. It’s an unfortunate mistake, and he let emotions get the best of him. It’s not who he is, but it’s a mistake that he made.”
In a corresponding move, the Cubs called up right-hander Hunter Bigge from Triple-A Iowa.
Source: The Athletic, AP News, ESPN News Services, Field Level Media
