The Chicago Cubs opened a three-game homestand in Wrigley North with a 4-3 loss to last year’s Wild Card squad, the Milwaukee Brewers.
With one swing of the lumber, Koyie Hill provided Rich Harden with his first lead of the game via a two-run, sixth-inning bomb.
Milton Bradley got his first hit of the season, a solo jack to lead off the fourth inning. While Bradley has gotten off to a slow start hitting wise, it hasn’t been for lack of good at-bats.
Milton takes a lot of pitches and works pitchers deep into the count. Bradley finished 1-for-3 with a walk and now has drawn five walks in 13 plate appearances, good for a .462 on-base percentage.
Rich Harden was phenomenal in the no-decision, going six innings and striking out 10 while allowing only three hits and two runs, only one earned via Corey Hart’s solo shot in the 3rd.
The Brewers got their first run when Ryan Theriot, who so far this season is doing his best Rafael Furcal impression, made his second error of the year, airmailing a routine grounder over Derrek Lee’s head allowing Rickie Weeks to reach second base.
Corey Hart then sacrificed him to third and Ryan Braun singled him home.
Aaron Heilman came in to start the seventh, and promptly walked Bill Hall and allowed Jason Kendall to sacrifice him to second.
Lou Piniella then went to Neal Cotts to face the left-handed pinch hitter, Craig Counsell. Counsell, dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee (probably due to the weirdest batting stance in history), has lowered his hands in his stance and doesn’t look nearly as odd.
Cotts nailed Counsell on the hands, putting runners on first and second and prompting Piniella back out of the dugout to bring in Carlos Marmol.
Carlos got Weeks to line out hard to Fontenot and then Hart, quickly down 0-2, worked the count full before taking a third strike (called a ball by home plate umpire Jim Reynolds) to load the bases for Ryan Braun.
Marmol again got ahead 0-2, and then got Braun to fly out to Bradley in right, ending the threat.
Sean Marshall and Luis Vizcaino both made their season debuts in the eighth, Marshall walking the only batter he faced to lead off the inning, and then Vizcaino retired the only two men he faced before giving way to Kevin Gregg.
Gregg struck out Bill Hall to end the eighth. Pinch hitter Chris Duffy was walked to lead off the ninth with a 55-foot curveball, and Gregg then allowed Rickie Weeks to double over Soriano’s head in left to tie the game and earn Gregg his first blown save of the season.
A wild pitch moved Weeks to third, and Hart then walked to bring up Ryan Braun.
Braun grounded to Theriot, who instead of trying for the double play to send it to extras, went home with the throw and Weeks slid in just under the tag of Koyie Hill…. Weeks was called safe, much to his delight and Hill’s dismay.
Hill raised his hands to the sky, then as Weeks slammed his helmet in celebration, Hill slammed the baseball in disgust.
Chicago falls to 2-2 on the young season while Milwaukee moves up to 2-2.
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