Chicago Cubs fall in 11 to Milwaukee Brewers in series finale

Bullpen falters again as Cubs lose 3-2 in finale

For the second time in as many weeks, the Chicago Cubs dropped a series to the basement-dwelling Milwaukee Brewers after a clutch 11th-inning base hit by Martin Maldonado sent Joe Maddon‘s club to its seventh loss in its last 10 games.

Right-hander Jason Motte came on in the bottom of the 11th in hopes of keeping things knotted 2-2, but things quickly unraveled for the veteran. Ryan Braun led off the frame with an opposite-field double, prompting a visit to the mound. After Motte intentionally walked Adam Lind, Khris Davis flew out to deep left-center field, allowing Braun to move to third with one out.

Motte then walked Jean Segura, bringing Maldonado, who also homered in the seventh, to the dish. The Milwaukee catcher belted the 1-1 pitch to deep right field, bringing Braun home and giving the Brewers another series win. After limping out of the gates, Milwaukee has moved to 11-21 – which is still 4 1/2 games behind the fourth-place Pirates in the NL Central.

For the Cubs, the strikeout-prone offense was at its worst – striking out 16 times in the loss. The team is now well on-pace  to set the all-time franchise mark for punchouts in a season, which is a troubling mark to set for a young team. However, the work turned in by catcher Miguel Montero turned heads yet-again.

In the sixth, Montero opened the scoring with an opposite-field solo shot, his fourth of the season. The offseason acquisition is now flirting with the .300 mark – as he’s shown a much stronger approach as the year has progressed. However, apart from that, the only Chicago offense came in the bottom of the eighth when Braun misjudged a liner off the bat of Anthony Rizzo that tied things 2-2.

The Cubs’ first baseman was credited with a double, but it was a poor fielding decision that netted Chicago its second run – and it was right-hander Kyle Hendricks who was the tough-luck recipient of no offense. He turned in 5 1/3 shutout innings before being pulled – somewhat against his will – allowing just five hits and striking out three. His counterpart, Matt Garza, struck out nine in seven innings of one-run ball, despite earning the no-decision.

What’s Next:

Chicago (15-15) is at .500 for the first time since the season was four games old and the team sat at 2-2. They’ll head home to take on the New York Mets (20-11). Right-hander Jacob deGrom will square off against Chicago ace left-hander Jon Lester in the opener Monday. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. CT.

Next: Is Iowa's Donn Roach a bullpen option for Chicago?