Cubs react after tough loss: Counsell, Brown, Palencia & Amaya postgame interviews

Tony Crumpton - Senior Editor - 19 hours ago

Hear from Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell, starting pitcher Ben Brown, relief pitcher Daniel Palencia and catcher Miguel Amaya after a 8-7 loss to the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park.

Watch the postgame interview below:

Video summary/cliff notes:

(00:00–00:41) Manager Craig Counsell discussed Daniel Palencia’s 9th inning outing, noting he made a mistake on a hanging slider and likely fatigued as the inning progressed. He also confirmed reliever Porter will go on the IL with an oblique issue.

(00:41–01:05) Counsell commented on Ben Brown’s rough start, saying Brown recovered well but had too many pitches over the middle of the plate early on.

(01:24–01:46) Miguel Amaya's offensive performance stood out with two clutch hits, especially against a tough pitcher (Cabrera), which helped spark a big 6th inning.

(01:46–02:24) Ben Brown reflected on his outing, feeling strong overall but blamed himself for failing to hold a baserunner and missing a chance to complete six innings.

(02:24–03:06) Brown emphasized taking more accountability for bullpen strain and travel fatigue, praised Amaya’s performance, and expressed pride in working with him.

(03:33–04:11) Palencia addressed his late-inning struggles, acknowledging a missed pitch and a walk, but said he still felt good physically and would bounce back.

(04:11–05:04) Palencia also praised Amaya and expressed regret for not being able to help the team more that night.

(05:04–06:35) Amaya described his approach at the plate—focusing on pitch selection and early-count damage—and expressed pride in contributing offensively, despite the loss.

(06:35–07:05) Amaya highlighted how mixing in changeups made Brown’s fastball-curveball combo more effective and added needed variety.

(07:05–07:30) Amaya credited confidence and aggressiveness as keys for Brown to rebound mid-game and discussed the catcher duo’s unique offensive impact, emphasizing quality at-bats with runners on base.