Brewer fortifies New York’s organizational relief depth heading into next season after posting a lackluster 5.66 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 22/9 K/BB ratio across 20 2/3 innings (16 appearances) last year for the Cubs. The 32-year-old journeyman righty has made 100 appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2018.

Well, that isn’t very smart. Brewer will hit the injured list as it’s difficult to pitch with a broken hand, although in this case it was apparently his non-throwing hand, so at least he thought about it a little bit. The right-hander has registered a 5.66 ERA in 20 2/3 innings with the Cubs in 2024 over 16 appearances. Hunter Bigge is replacing him on the roster.

Better umpiring would have helped the Cubs here, but it’s not like either Brewer or Smyly impressed tonight. The Cubs wanted Brewer to close over Héctor Neris, but he gave up hits to two of the three batters he faced. Smyly entered at that point and allowed a single and three walks. One of those was intentional, but the last, which pushed the winning run across, certainly wasn’t. With Neris out of the mix for the moment, Tyson Miller might be the current favorite for saves in the Cubs pen. He got the final two outs of the eighth before exiting tonight.

We’re not totally sure what to make of Chicago’s closing situation at the moment as Brewer became the sixth different Cubs reliever to record a save this year. The 31-year-old righty issued a pair of walks, but still managed to escape with his first career save.