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MILWAUKEE – A bloop, a hit and the Brewers playoff ticket can be hit any day now.
Lorenzo Cain dunked a single equalizer in shallow right field with two strikeouts in the eighth inning on Friday before Kolten Wong delivered a two-run single for an 8-5 win over the Cubs. at American Family Field which secured the ninth season of more than 90 wins in franchise history.
A 10th straight win over the Cubs reduced Milwaukee’s magic number to clinch a fourth straight playoff spot to two, although the Brewers don’t plan on making much fuss about the formality as they have a title of division in sight. Their magic number to win the Central National League has dropped to four with 15 games to go.
“I think division is the goal,” Wong said. “Obviously winning the playoffs is something you are aiming for and being two games away is huge for us, but we want to get that central crown.”
It took a bit of magic two-out against Cubs relievers Rowan Wick and Dillon Maples to complete a comeback after a deficit as wide as 4-0 in the middle of the fourth inning. The Brewers scored three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth while leaving five runners on base between those two innings, and they still faced a 5-4 deficit with one runner on board and two strikeouts in the bottom of the eighth.
When Daniel Vogelbach completed a six-length walk – his third walk of the night – to push Luis Urías to second base, the rally was on, and it was another example of the Brewers receiving contributions from deep within the listing. Pinch runner Pablo Reyes replaced Vogelbach and ran for third on a Cain single that left his bat at 70.1 mph and fell to 213 feet in shallow right field, scoring Urías for a tie of 5-5. The Cubs asked if Reyes came out in third and came back empty, further extending the inning for Luke Maile’s march before Wong’s shot.
“It’s his favorite move,” manager Craig Counsell said of Cain’s bloop. “He’s one of the few guys whose favorite shot is to throw a little ball over the second baseman’s head. It will put a smile on his face like no other shot.
It was a start from Cain’s early batsmen, when he scalded the lines to the left side of the infield and came back empty both times, including a base-laden liner in the fourth who opted for a double game at the end of the round.
“This is how it works,” Counsell said. “It’s putting the ball into play and ultimately being rewarded.”
Wong was rewarded overnight, registering three hits to increase his 1,030 OPS against the Cubs this season. Despite two stints on the injured list, he has already tied his career high in doubles (28) and extra base hits (43).
“He’s had more than a year as a first hitter for me,” said Counsell. “It had an impact. Big blows. Power. Tonight he just had a good night’s sleep. Tough fights all night long tonight.
And that continued when Maples took over for Chicago and accompanied Eduardo Escobar and Christian Yelich to force in yet another insurance race.
“These guys picked me up tonight, huge,” said Brewers starter Adrian Houser, who was burned by a walk here, a defensive error there, a streak of well-placed singles and was out of the game without. record a withdrawal in fifth. inning. “I wasn’t able to go out there and do my job the way I wanted. But they succeeded. It shows that everyone is there to pick you up. There is never any relaxation or abandonment by this team. We are there until the last exit.
“It was just a good win,” said Counsell. “We crushed this one for sure.”
They only have a few left before they can celebrate.
The earliest the Brewers can land a playoff berth is Saturday, but it would take another win over the Cubs and losses to the Padres and Reds. The earliest the Brewers can win the division is Monday, when the Cardinals come to town to start a four-game series.
“This NL Central crown is something we’ve been talking about since spring training,” Wong said. “We’ve believed each other since spring training, even though people counted us. This is something we have called for. We crushed. The boys want to win. We all want to land it here at home. It’s a big thing for us.
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