Brown dominates with 7 no-hit frames, helped by Bellinger's incredible robbery

MILWAUKEE -- When Ben Brown took the mound on Tuesday, it was just his sixth career start and his first time facing the Milwaukee Brewers. Brown left that outing with a performance he’ll never forget.

Brown delivered seven no-hit innings before reliever Hayden Wesneski eventually allowed a one-out single to Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick to break up the no-hitter through 7 1/3 innings. That dominance from the rookie and the Cubs’ five-run 10th inning helped them snap their five-game losing streak to beat the Brewers by a score of 6-3 at American Family Field.

? Every pitcher removed deep in a no-hit bid

“I thought it was the fastball,” manager Craig Counsell said of Brown’s outing. “It was like an angry fastball. It was just really good. It was overpowering for much of the game. He threw a ton of strikes, but the fastball was excellent.”

Brown was unstoppable for the Cubs on Tuesday across seven dominant innings, where he walked just two batters and struck out a career-high 10. His fastball -- which topped out at 98.2 mph -- and curveball combination proved to be too much for Milwaukee’s offense, as he totaled 16 whiffs on those two pitches.

“It was cool seeing some swing and miss on the heater,” Brown said. “I haven't really gotten that a lot in the big leagues. But I think the curveball was kind of a game-changer today. Everything was working today.”

With the way the rookie was pitching, it was hard to imagine a hit falling against him, especially with the defense stepping up behind him. In the seventh inning, Cody Bellinger robbed Willy Adames of a game-tying home run to preserve the no-hitter.

“It’s obviously really good, especially in those circumstances,” Bellinger said of his catch. “Brown was amazing, electric stuff tonight. Just try to do my part and make that play.”

Off the bat, Brown did not think that ball was staying in the park. His first thought after Adames hit his fastball at 101.2 mph was “frustration.” But that soon changed once he saw Bellinger sprint back.

“Belli just kept running really fast and he’s going back, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s a home run,'" Brown said. “Then, Belli just looked like he jumped 20 feet up in the air and caught it. He looked really good doing it. He’s a beast.”

With the no-hitter still intact, the only thing stopping Brown from going the distance was his pitch count. After ending the seventh with 93 pitches, it was tough to imagine him pitching into the ninth -- considering his previous career was just 89 pitches set back on May 2 against the New York Mets.

That unfortunately became a reality when Counsell went to the bullpen in the eighth, a move that Brown understood in the end.

“I understand how it works, I trust Craig,” he said. “He’s doing it for my career moving forward and for what's best for the team.”

It’s been an eventful couple of months for Brown to begin his Major League career, as he has been used in a multitude of ways.

After Tuesday’s start, he has seven appearances out of the bullpen and six starts. But the 24-year-old has answered every call the Cubs have thrown his way while becoming a weapon for the pitching staff.

“I just got some really awesome teammates that helped me out through that transition and through the moving parts,” Brown said. “It's been a lot of constant communication, and I get to have such great people around me and helping me out through it.”

Excluding his first career appearance on March 30, where he gave up six runs on five hits across 1 2/3 innings out of the bullpen against the Texas Rangers, Brown has been locked down in whatever role the team throws him in ever since.

He has a 1.61 ERA over his last 12 appearances (six starts) while allowing one run or less in 10 of those outings. After also throwing four scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves in his last start, Brown has now gone 14 straight innings without giving up a run.

That recent stretch -- including his seven no-hit innings on Tuesday -- speaks to what type of pitcher the Cubs have on their hands.

“He took that first outing and just wiped it away, and he’s just been so, so good since,” Counsell said. “The confidence that he shows. He's adapted to whatever he's had to do, and we're getting a really good pitcher.”