Contreras hits tiebreaking double in 9th as Brewers beat Cubs 3-2
Chicago Cubs pitcher Héctor Neris reacts after giving up a run in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Chicago. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
CHICAGO - William Contreras hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Wednesday.
Blake Perkins singled leading off the ninth against Héctor Neris (8-3). Contreras put Milwaukee on top one out later when he lined a double to left-center, helping the NL Central leaders end a rough day on a winning note.
Before the game, the Brewers placed Christian Yelich on the 10-day injured list because of inflammation in his lower back, and they were bracing for the possibility that their All-Star outfielder will miss significant time.
"Losing Christian is huge," manager Pat Murphy said. "It can be devastating. But this team hasn't been devastated by much. They kind of don't give in. They kind of just keep battling no matter who's out there."
Milwaukee reliever Bryse Wilson entered in the second and held Chicago to one run over four innings. The only hit he allowed was a homer by Seiya Suzuki. Jakob Junis (3-0) then pitched one-hit ball for three innings before Joel Payamps worked the ninth for his fifth save.
Jackson Chourio gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single. Pinch-hitter Brice Turang tied it at 2 when he singled home a run in the sixth, and Milwaukee pulled out the win despite stranding 10 runners. The Brewers took two of three from Chicago even though they scored just five runs in the series.
"Credit to their staff, too," Contreras said. "They pitched well this series. I felt like as an offense, we put together good at-bats. I don't think it was we were having bad at-bats. Just not finding a lot of holes. Wind blowing in, flyballs aren't really going anywhere."
The Cubs went 2-4 on their homestand against Arizona and Milwaukee. They gave up just 14 runs, but scored nine while getting shut out twice.
"We pitched well. We didn’t score enough runs," manager Craig Counsell said.
Suzuki doubled and scored in the first against Brewers opener Rob Zastryzny, then gave Chicago a 2-1 lead in the third with a solo homer against Wilson.
Cubs starter Justin Steele went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and six hits. The left-hander exited leading 2-1 with runners on first and second after striking out Garrett Mitchell.
Tyson Miller came in and gave up back-to-back singles to pinch-hitters Jake Bauers and Turang as Milwaukee tied it at 2. But the Brewers settled for just one run despite loading the bases, when Perkins forced a runner at the plate and Joey Ortiz hit a fly to right.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Brewers: Yelich is scheduled to see a spine specialist Thursday to figure out his next steps, including whether he needs season-ending surgery. ... Milwaukee reinstated C Gary Sánchez (calf strain) from the IL after he missed a month with a calf strain.
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Freddy Peralta (6-5, 3.88 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series against Miami on Friday. He went seven innings in a 1-0 loss to the Marlins on May 22.
Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (2-8, 6.69 ERA) gets the ball as the Cubs open a three-game series at Kansas City on Friday. RHP Brady Singer (6-6, 3.00) pitches for the Royals.