The Chicago Cubs rallied in the 11th inning after coughing up a late four-run lead to pick up a 7-6 victory over the host Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Cody Bellinger scored on Nico Hoerner’s infield single in the top of the 11th before Owen Miller was thrown out at the plate in the bottom half of the inning after a Brice Turang flyout for a game-ending double play.
The 11th-inning sequence compensated for a late-game collapse, as the Cubs gave up a 6-2 lead by surrendering two runs in both the eighth and ninth.
Rowdy Tellez drove in Joey Wiemer with an eighth-inning single, then Willy Adames sent William Contreras to the plate with a double to halve Milwaukee’s four-run deficit.
In the ninth, Christian Yelich drove in Raimel Tapia with a single, and Contreras brought home Turang with a sacrifice fly to send the game into extra innings.
The late struggles cost Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks the decision after he went six strong innings while not allowing a baserunner until the fourth. Hendricks gave up his first hit in the fifth — an infield single by Miller.
Miller then stole second to set the stage for Turang’s run-scoring single that pulled the Brewers within 4-1. Milwaukee scored again in the sixth when Contreras delivered an RBI single.
The Cubs pushed the lead back to four in the eighth inning when Miguel Amaya’s double scored Bellinger and Jared Young.
Chicago needed the insurance runs with Mark Leiter Jr. giving up two runs in the eighth and Adbert Alzolay surrendering another two in the ninth for his first blown save.
Daniel Palencia (1-0) picked up the win for the Cubs by keeping Milwaukee scoreless through the two extra frames. Clayton Andrews (0-1) took the loss for the Brewers.
Yan Gomes’ second-inning double scored Seiya Suzuki to get the scoring started for the Cubs, who added another in the third on Dansby Swanson’s solo home run.
Chicago tacked on two more runs in the fifth when Trey Mancini plated Ian Happ with a sacrifice fly and Bellinger singled to drive in Christopher Morel.
All four runs came against Milwaukee starter Wade Miley, who also gave up nine hits, walked two and fanned four in five innings.
–Field Level Media