The Chicago Cubs have not had the season they had hoped for, and things continue to snowball on them. The Cubs have the highest payroll in the National League Central, but find themselves in last place. Right-hander Colten Brewer broke his hand after a “tantrum” in the dugout following an error and a three-run inning against the Los Angeles Angels.
“Unloading his frustrations, Chicago Cubs pitcher Colten Brewer broke his left hand while punching a wall in Wrigley Field’s home dugout,” wrote The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney. “Brewer, a right-handed reliever, had just been removed from Saturday’s game when he threw a tantrum that eclipsed the 391 pitches he’s thrown during this disappointing season.”
Cubs manager, Craig Counsell, reacted to the injury, calling it a mistake that can’t happen. Brewer came into the game in relief of Kyle Hendricks in the third inning. Brewer allowed two hits and three earned runs while committing an error in his 2/3 of an inning.
Counsell’s Thoughts
“It’s a mistake and it’s something you can’t let happen and it’s something that’s costly,” Counsell said, according to The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg. “It hurt your teammates by doing it and it hurt that you hurt the team by doing it. Doesn’t reflect well on you, but you also put yourself in the shoes and this is an emotional game and competition is emotional and it happens.”
Surprisingly, a reliever losing a fight to a wall is not new for Counsell. Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Devin Williams also fractured his hand punching a wall in 2021 while Counsell was his manager. Williams broke his hand during a division championship celebration. Brewer’s injury came from frustration.
“When those things happen, you know you screwed up,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters, according to ESPN. “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.”
Next Steps for Brewer and the Cubs Bullpen
“My intention wasn’t to break my hand,” Brewer told reporters on July 7, according to ESPN. “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.”
“I don’t think I can count many times when I lost my cool too much,” Brewer said, according to Greenberg. “That’s not something I expect out of myself. It’s just the last couple weeks have been really hard. Luck’s not on my side. It’s just everything all at once.”
Brewer was placed on the 60-day IL and Hunter Bigge was called up from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move on July 7. The Cubs bullpen has the twelfth-worst ERA in baseball at 4.21. Brewer had a 5.66 ERA before his injury.
With the trade deadline approaching, the Cubs’ next couple of weeks are going to be critical. Five and a half games back of the final wild-card spot, there could be a potential fire sale in Chicago if things don’t improve soon.
“The Cubs are telling teams they still remain undecided whether they will be sellers at the trade deadline, but are preparing for a potential sale, with Bellinger, Jameson Taillon and Nico Hoerner expected to draw interest,” wrote USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale. “It’s hard to believe how things went south on the Northside after their 17-9 start.”
