Another Cubs win over Colorado, another day without a Milwaukee celebration
Suddenly, the Chicago Cubs are healthy again. And thanks to the Miami Marlins, the champagne remains in cold storage for another day in the Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse in Miami.
Ultimately, the Brewers are going to pop champagne corks as National League Central Division champions. But for another day, the Cubs kept that celebration on hold and kept their one-game lead over the Marlins for the thiird and final National Wild Card berth after a 6-3 victory on Saturday. With Cincinnati blowing an early 9-0 lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates and losing, 13-12, the Reds dropped to 2 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the final wild card chase..
The Rockies held a 3-1 lead into the fifth inning until the Cubs chipped away at it, scoring one run in the fifth, one in the sixth, breaking the tie with a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth for good measure.
Christopher Morel helped put the win away for the Cubs with an eighth-inning solo home run.
Elias Diaz’s RBI single and an RBI double by Brenton Doyle staked the Rockies to a 3-1 lead in the second inning against Cubs starter Marcus Stroman, who was back on the mound after recuperating from a right rib cartilage fracture. Stroman would go three innings in his return, allowing the three runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
Nico Hoerner’s sacrifice fly plated Miles Mastrobuoni to make it 3-2 in the fifth. The Cubs tied it at 3-all when Yan Gomes lined a double to left field to bring in Seiya Suzuki.
The North Siders took the lead in the seventh when Mike Tauchman walked and was replaced by pinch-runner Pete Crow-Armstrong, Hoerner and Ian Happ walked to load the bases against Nick Mears (0-1). Justin Lawrence relieved Mears, but the damage was done as Cody Bellinger lofted a sacrifice fly to left field to bring home Crow-Armstroing with the go-ahead score.
After Morel’s home run in the eighth, Mastrobuoni walked, stole second and scored on a Hoerner single to center field.
Javier Assad (5-3) relieved Stroman and went four strong innings for the victoiry, allowing two hits and striking out six Rockies hitters. Julian Merryweather got out of trouble in the eighth without a run scoring and Jose Cuas pitched the ninth to claim his second career Major League save, his first year.
Left-hander Jordan Wicks (3-1) will get the ball in the finale of the series Sunday afternoon against fellow lefty Ty Blach (3-2).
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