Brown (6-6) allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out eight over three-plus innings to take the loss Friday versus the Mariners.
The right-hander's strikeout total was impressive, but the Mariners were able to get enough men on base over the first three innings to inflate his pitch count. Things fell apart in the fourth inning, when Brown and reliever Phil Maton were tagged for a combined nine runs. This was Brown's shortest start of the season, and he needed 88 pitches (49 strikes) to record only nine outs. He's faded toward the end of the first half and now owns a 4.12 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 111:33 K:BB through 94 innings across 17 starts. He'll have at least a week off to reset before making his first start coming out of the All-Star break.