Happ delivers again as Cubs defeat Brewers |
MILWAUKEE — While the Division may seem out of sight right now, any time the Chicago Cubs (39-45) can go into American Family Field and get a win against the Milwaukee Brewers (49-34), it's a great day. This team has had the Cubs' number for the better part of the past four seasons, and with a 10-game lead over them right now, Chicago will take any win they can get over them.
This one didn't come without plenty of drama. Justin Steele finally showed the emotion fans have been waiting on from this team. Sloppy defense led to two runs against him in the third. Steele managed to get through six innings, allowing three runs and striking out five, but once again, he had to settle for a no-decision as the Cubs couldn't seem to figure out a way to win his starts. With the game tied late, it was the Cubs coming through against the Brewers bullpen for a change as Ian Happ delivered another massive hit with a go-ahead and eventual game-winning homer in the eighth to put the Cubs in front 5-3. Milwaukee had their chance to get even against Hector Neris in the ninth, but the veteran right-hander survived another tough outing to record his 11th save of the season in the Cubs 5-3 win. For the second straight night, the Cubs got on the board first as they jumped on Tobias Myers right from the jump. Nico Hoerner led the game off with a single, but it was the Michael Busch two-run homer a few pitches later that gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Michael really said c you later. 😌 pic.twitter.com/P1elugpKFd Chicago had a chance to add on in the second after a leadoff double from Dansby Swanson, but after Pete Crow-Armstrong bunted him to third it was the Cubs offense that went silent as Myers escaped trouble. Given how Steele was pitching early on, you had to like the Cubs chances to win this game if they could put up a few more runs, but things began to unravel for him in the third after Sal Frelick led the inning off with a single. Frelick would later steal second before advancing to third on a fielder's choice, and then came home on the Brice Turang bunt single to put the Brewers on the board. A few pitches later, the Brewers got another break, as the William Contreras pop landed between three Cubs defenders, leading to a second run to tie things up. Steele managed to get through the rest of that inning without any further damage, but he made sure to let his team know about his frustrations, showing a lot of emotion when he returned to the dugout. “I love every single person in that locker room,” Steele said after the game. “I know how good we can be. I know what it takes. Yeah, it definitely comes from a good place. It comes from a place of love and passion. I want to win baseball games. That's what I show up every day to do.” That emotion paid off in the fourth with Happ starting things off with a walk before advancing to second on the Christopher Morel single. Following a double play to potentially kill another rally, Crow-Armstrong redeemed himself for the defensive miscue in the third by delivering an RBI single to put the Cubs in front 3-2. That was the final run Myers would allow in his outing as he matched Steele with six innings of three-run ball while striking out six. Just like in the last inning when the Brewers battled back to tie things up the Brewers offense was at it again with Jackson Chourio starting things off with a double and then moving to third on a Rhys Hoskins single. Chourio would come into score on a Frelick fielder's choice to tie things up, but Steele prevented any further damage as he induced an inning-ending double play to keep things where they were. Not only was that the last run Steele would allow, but it was also the final run the Brewers would score, as the Cubs bullpen has pitched very well so far in this series. Even after wasting a bases-loaded opportunity in the first, the Cubs managed to keep this game tied, as this was going to come down to a battle of the bullpens late. Fortunately for them, the Brewers made a rare mistake on the bases as Luke Little put a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the seventh before Andruw Monasterio was thrown out trying to steal home. It was a play that could've crushed the Cubs from a mental side of things had he made it, but instead it was the momentum swing this team needed to come through in the clutch. Oh man.. All it took was a leadoff from Seiya Suzuki against Joel Payamps to begin the eighth to get things started as Happ followed that up with another clutch homer to put the Cubs in front for good 5-3. ✌️on the board courtesy of Happ. pic.twitter.com/lmmhKLkEWp Morel and Swanson each added walks later in that inning, but with Morel getting thrown out trying to steal second, the Cubs rally came to a complete halt. With Porter Hodge delivering another scoreless frame in the eighth as he continues to impress, it came down to the final three outs where Craig Counsell had no other option than to go with Neris. It's no secret that Neris has struggled this season, and with Hoskins leading off the ninth with a single followed by a one-out walk, Neris was once again walking a tightrope as the drama was starting to unfold. Fortunately for him and the Cubs, Neris managed to pitch out of trouble this time as he retired the final two hitters he faced to close out the game as the Cubs picked up the 5-3 win. Héctor locks in his 100th career save. 💯😤 pic.twitter.com/EO3MJ4Y0Fr Busch paced the Cubs offense with two hits and two RBIs as his average climbed to .262. Happ also had two RBIs in the win as he continues to come up clutch in recent weeks. Go Cubs, goooo. “I love every single person in that locker room. I know how good we can be.” “Anytime you say something from a good place, it’s welcome.”
pic.twitter.com/tUibRosD1I
Happ: Game-winning 2-run HR, 2R, BB⁰Busch: HR, 2 RBI, BB⁰Neris: 100th Career Save pic.twitter.com/dCZ53wWP3f
Justin Steele’s frustration came from a place of love. pic.twitter.com/GdP16SPngj
Craig Counsell on Justin Steele’s third inning outburst. pic.twitter.com/7xG1TglZUd
