For most of the game, things had largely trended the Cubs way. They got a home run from their 9-hole hitter, Pedro Ramirez, in the fifth inning off Robert Gasser, and chased him from the game two batters later. Another short start, another long stretch for the Brewers bullpen.
Meanwhile, Matthew Boyd was carving up the Crew. He allowed an answer in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 1-1, but was fantastic through seven innings. The Cubs took the lead in the 7th with a two-out rally started by Pete Crow-Armstrong, who scored on a single from Alex Bregman.
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With the Cubs leading 2-1 and their bullpen having been a bit of a dumpster fire of late, Craig Counsell opted to push Matthew Boyd back out there for the 8th inning. It turns out, he left Boyd out there a little too long.
Boyd started the 8th by allowing a leadoff walk to Garrett Mitchell, who supplied the Crew’s lone run back in that fifth inning with an RBI single. Then Joey Ortiz roped a double into the left field corner. A favorable bounce towards Ian Happ forced third base coach Matt Erickson to throw up the stop sign for Mitchell. But there were two men in scoring position and nobody out, and that’s when Counsell removed Boyd and went to his bullpen.
Ryan Zeferjahn entered to face Jackson Chourio, and the ever-aggressive Chourio punched a single through the right side to bring home Mitchell and Ortiz and give the Brewers the lead.
“Sometimes I feel like I was born for those moments, and other times I like the pressure that those moments bring.” Jackson Chourio said.
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“He’s maturing as a hitter, and that’s not easy. (Zeferjahn)’s throwing the ball almost 100 miles an hour and (Chourio)’s just trying to ‘Hey I’ve got to get him over, got to get him in. That was his mission” Pat Murphy said.
Christian Yelich would later add an insurance run in the inning, lifting a sacrifice fly to right with the bases loaded to bring home Chourio and make it a 4-2 Brewers lead. That run ended up being critical.
The Brewers then turned the ball over to Trevor Megill to close down the 9th. Things got even more interesting there.
After Megill gets a routine grounder to first base for the first out of the inning, he then gives up some loud contact to Pedro Ramirez, who looks like he’s about to have his second home run of the game, and then Luis Lara happened again.
“In that situation, I’m just reacting. That’s the only thing going through my head, reacting to the play and to the ball off the bat and just finding any way I possibly can to make the play there.” Luis Lara said.
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Yet another incredible robbery from Lara gave the Brewers two outs and a chance to finish the Cubs off. Pete Crow-Armstrong stood in the way, and he made some loud contact as well, and this one wasn’t going to get robbed, as he got his 41st home run of the season to make it a one run game.
Seiya Suzuki was up next and hit a knuckling line drive to left that was tough to read and Chourio got a late break on it, but was able to make a diving grab in shallow left to end the game and secure the 4-2 win.
It was a very eventful final three batters, but Trevor Megill locked down his 27th save of the season and the Brewers got their 89th win of the year. The magic number to clinch the NL Central is down to 10.
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