Brewers' win prevents Cubs from clinching
CHICAGO -- The Cubs' division-clinching party will have to wait, as the Milwaukee Brewers played spoiler with a 5-4 victory over Chicago on Thursday at Wrigley Field.
Brewers pinch hitter Scooter Gennett broke a tie in the seventh inning as he doubled home Domingo Santana and Martin Maldonado with one out for a 5-3 lead.
Milwaukee starter Jimmy Nelson (8-14) threw six innings of three-run ball to earn the win. Reliever Tyler Thornburg got the final four outs for his 10th save.
Reliever Justin Grimm (1-1) took the loss for the Cubs (93-53) after giving up two runs in two-thirds of an inning.
The Brewers (66-81) won their second straight, disappointing a Wrigley Field crowd announced at 41,362.
The Cubs' magic number to wrap up a National League Central championship remained at one with a chance they could back into the title if the San Francisco Giants beat the second-place St. Louis Cardinals in a late game Thursday night.
If not, Chicago gets another shot to clinch when the four-game series resumes Friday afternoon.
Cubs starter Mike Montgomery was pulled for a pinch hitter Tommy La Stella in the sixth after an impressive -- if inconclusive -- night. He allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits while walking one and striking out seven.
Nelson allowed eight hits, walked two and struck out seven.
The Cubs got one run back in the eighth. Jason Heyward greeted Thornburg with a two-out double to right that drove in Ben Zobrist to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Heyward reached third on a passed ball and Miguel Montero walked, but Thornburg struck out pinch hitter Willson Contreras looking to escape additional damage.
Jorge Soler gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead with none out in the second inning, launching Nelson's 1-0 pitch deep into the left field bleachers for his 12th home run of the season. He also drove in Addison Russell, who reached base when a high leadoff popup dropped between Brewers third baseman Hernan Perez and shortstop Orlando Arcia for an infield hit.
Brewers center fielder Keon Broxton homered off Montgomery to lead off the fourth and to cut the Cubs lead in half. The solo homer, his ninth of the season, landed in center field. Milwaukee put runners at second and third with two out later in the inning and Arcia drove in Perez and Domingo Santana for a 3-2 lead with his double down the left field line.
Heyward doubled in the bottom of the fourth and scored on Montgomery's first Cubs hit -- a two-out single up the middle that tied the score at 3-3.
NOTES: While Milwaukee is near the bottom of the NL Central, pitching has been a bright spot lately as Brewers hurlers have a major league best 2.73 ERA over their previous 23 games. ... RHP Zach Davies (10 wins) and RHP Junior Geurra (nine) have combined for the third most combined wins by rookie pitchers in franchise history in a season. ... The Brewers send RHP Chase Anderson (8-11, 4.53 ERA) against Cubs RHP John Lackey (9-8, 3.35 ERA) in Friday's second game. ... Chicago RHP Kyle Hendricks currently leads the NL with a 2.03 ERA while LHP Jon Lester was second at 2.40 ERA. ... The Cubs' Class A Myrtle Beach affiliate won its second straight Carolina League title on Wednesday. The previous day, Class A Eugene captured the Northwest League crown.