Cubs rally, defeat Brewers in 13 innings

[May 19, 2016]  By Andrew Wagner, The Sports Xchange

 MILWAUKEE -- At some point during the 13-inning marathon playing out in front of them, the announced crowd of 31,212 at Miller Park had to wonder if either the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers even wanted to win the game.
 

 

The Cubs stranded 14 runners while Milwaukee left eight on base, but in the end, the Cubs avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season.

Travis Wood escaped a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the bottom of the 12th, then drew a bases-loaded, two-out walk in the top of the 13th inning to lead Chicago to a 2-1 victory.

"When he came in the game, I said, understand one thing: If you get out of this, you're getting an at-bat," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "So, that kind of jacked him up. That's just how we operate."

After almost being no-hit the night before by Chase Anderson, Chicago couldn't accomplish much of anything against right-hander Jimmy Nelson, who spun 7 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out five.

Milwaukee gave him a 1-0 lead when Kirk Nieuwenhuis doubled and scored on a fielder's choice in the fifth.

The lone Brewers run came at the expense of John Lackey, who scattered four hits and a pair of walks while striking out five over six innings of work.

Chicago's bullpen took over and shut Milwaukee down the rest of the way.

"We had every chance to win the game by executing offensively," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We just didn't get it done."

The Cubs had been silent offensively, too, coming up empty despite loading the bases in the second. They chased Nelson with two on and one out in the seventh only for Tyler Thornburg to work out of the jam but finally broke through in the ninth against right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, who had previously converted all 11 of his save opportunities this season.

He opened the inning by hitting Rizzo with a pitch, then gave up a single to Ben Zobrist, who reached four times and finished with three hits. Back-to-back groundouts to second moved the runners up, and sent Rizzo home before Jeffress stranded the go-ahead run at third with a strikeout of pinch-hitter Tim Federowicz.

Pedro Strop held Milwaukee's 2-3-4 hitters at bay with just nine pitches in the bottom of the inning, sending the game to extra innings.

Wood (2-0) put the first three Milwaukee batters on in the 12th only to escape with a shallow fly to center and two pop-ups in the infield.

Carlos Torres wasn't as fortunate, allowing Zobrist's third single of the day to open the 13th then hit Tommy Le Stella before giving a free pass to Miguel Montero, loading the bases for Wood.

"I'm sitting there thinking 'am I going to let Miguel Montero beat me or am I going to let the pitcher beat me?' " Counsell said. "I think you have to make the pitcher beat you."

And that's exactly what Wood did.

"He tells us he wants to get a walk-off home run, "said Kris Bryant, who had two singles in six trips. "I guess that was kind of close to it, especially working an at-bat like that, sitting on the bench for that long and just coming off an inning like that. Can't say enough about that."

The Brewers put two on in the bottom of the inning but Clayton Richard got the final out for Wood, earning his first save.

"There was a lot of like awkward stuff that occurred against us, and we didn't quit," Maddon said. "That really speaks loudly about your group."

NOTES: Brewers LF Ryan Braun was back on the bench Wednesday night, battling through tightness in his lower back. He had returned to the lineup the night before after missing two games with a sore right wrist. ... Three of Milwaukee's injured pitchers would all throw bullpen sessions this week. RHP Matt Garza will go Thursday, his first time throwing off a mound since suffering a shoulder injury during the final exhibition game of spring while RHP Corey Knebel (oblique) will go Friday. LHP Will Smith (knee) will throw his third bullpen session Wednesday then face live hitters over the weekend. If all goes well, he'll start a minor league rehab assignment next week. ... Cubs OF Matt Szczur (hamstring) was slated to begin a minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Tennessee Wednesday night, manager Joe Maddon said.

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