Life comes at you faster than a Ben Brown four-seamer. The Cubs were riding an astronomical high after their second ten-game winning streak of the season. They looked like a bona-fide World Series contender – all while navigating a slew of injuries in their bullpen. With the injury bug having to leave the clubhouse eventually, this organization felt like they were in an excellent spot. Well, it turns out the injury bug laid plenty of eggs. The full infestation continues for Chicago, with Edward Cabrera being the latest starting arm to hit the IL. The Cubs have now spiraled out of control and are fresh off an eighth consecutive loss. It continues their longest losing streak in four years. Even more troubling, they will now face a NL Central opponent and risk losing more ground. They have already stumbled from the top spot to No. 3. Only 2.0 games now stand between them and the fifth-place Pirates. It's a very heated division, which only makes four-game sets like this one mean that much more!Is it too dramatic to say this series will make or break the Cubs series? Of course! But that's not going to stop it from feeling that way, particularly if the losing streak continues. Game InfoWho: Chicago Cubs (29-24) at Pittsburgh Pirates (27-26)Where: PNC ParkWhen: 12:35 PM CTWatch: Marquee Sports NetworkListen: 104.3 The ScoreChicago Cubs Lineup1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF2. Ian Happ, LF3. Michael Busch, 1B4. Alex Bregman, 3B5. Michael Conforto, DH6. Pedro Ramírez, 2B7. Moisés Ballesteros, DH8. Miguel Amaya, C9. Dansby Swanson, SSAll it took was one MLB start for Pedro Ramírez to earn a generous bump up the lineup. The rookie impressed on Sunday with an RBI double for his first-ever big league hit. He also drew a walk and, in the words of his manager, "scorched" a ball in the eighth inning. We may only be talking about one game, but his performance felt like a much-needed breath of fresh air amid one of the worst stretches in years. Seiya Suzuki and Nico Hoerner are the two latest regulars to get the day off. The former, in particular, has been among the Cubs' coldest bats. Suzuki hasn't gone long since May 8, and his last hit came in Game 2 against Milwaukee. Sitting both also paves the way for Counsell to go with two more lefities in Michael Conforto and Ballesteros against Carmen Mlodzinski. Lastly, Ian Happ is back after sitting out two straight contests. The switch-hitter moves from the clean-up spot to second in the order behind Peter Crow-Armstrong, who is leading off for a third consecutive day. Among the Cubs' hottest hitters to begin the year, Happ's individual slump has stood out more than any other. He has mustered only two hits in his previous six games with 14 strikeouts. Happ would repeatedly come up short in big spots, leading Counsell to make him the first casualty of his lineup shake-up. So, was this the reset he needed? Only time will tell. If one thing is for sure, the Pirates' starter will give this Cubs team plenty of balls to hit. He throws a lot of pitches in the strike zone and has a hard-hit rate that is among the worst in the league. Happ homer incoming!? Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup1. Spencer Horwitz, 1B2. Brandon Lowe, 2B3. Bryan Reynolds, RF4. Nick Gonzales, 3B5. Oneil Cruz, CF6. Marcell Ozuna, DH7. Konnor Griffin, SS8. Jhostynxon Garcia, LF9. Henry Davis, COn the Mound ...May 14, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown (32) throws against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesCubs – Ben Brown, RHPCan Ben Brown save the day? Is this what it has come to!?In a strange turn of events, Ben Brown has emerged as one of the Cubs' most dependable starters. To be sure, the sample size is relatively small, as this will be only his third go around. But he's only given up three earned runs over his first three starts, and only four batters have walked their way to first. His last outing against the Brewers wasn't the best, but he still had the Cubs a chance and managed to strike out six in 5.0 innings of work. The question now is, how long will Brown be allowed to work? The Cubs have had a pretty short leash on him as he adjusts to a starting role. However, it may very well be in their best interest to give him more runway. The Pirates have the fifth-highest Whiff rate in baseball, as well as the second-highest ground ball rate in the league. This could bode well for Brown today, as long as he can limit the long ball. Pirates – Carmen Mlodzinski, RHPThe Pirates have a pretty good starting rotation, which is why the Cubs will have to find a way to take advantage of Carmen Mlodzinski this afternoon. To be clear, the righty is still putting together a very solid season, but he doesn't necessarily have that one lights-out pitch. He has essentially split his time between three pitches: Splitter, four-seamer, and sinker. The former two touch the mid-90s and will frequently land within the zone.Mlodzinski's goal isn't necessarily to strike anyone out but force a fair share of ground balls and simply limit the damage. The big problem for him this season has been hard contact. Teams are averaging a 92.0 percent exit velocity against the 27-year-old, and his 51.3 percent hard hit rate sits in just the 2nd percentile. Sign up for our free newsletter to stay up-to-date with all things Chicago Cubs.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow