Cubs 7, Brewers 4: Russell hits walk-off shot

CHICAGO - What could have been a tremendous season-opening road trip for the Milwaukee Brewers ended in disappointing fashion on Wednesday afternoon.

Carlos Torres, Corey Knebel and Neftali Feliz all issued walks in the final four innings that eventually came around to score, and Addison Russell provided the finishing touches with a walk-off, three-run home run in the Brewers' 7-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The Brewers held an early three-run lead in this one the day after blowing an early five-run advantage. As a result, they had to settle for a 6-3 record on a road swing that easily could have finished 8-1.

The game began turning in the eighth with Milwaukee holding a 4-2 lead.

Knebel, who hadn't been scored upon in 7 2/3 innings coming in, immediately found trouble by walking Kris Bryant and giving up a single to Anthony Rizzo. Russell worked a full count before swinging at ball four, reaching out and dumping a ball just over Eric Thames' head at first base to score Rizzo and pull the Cubs to within 4-3.

BOX SCORE: Cubs 7, Brewers 4

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Knebel followed by getting Willson Contreras looking for the first out. Then after Rizzo and Russell pulled off a double steal to put the go-ahead run at second base, Knebel struck out Albert Almora Jr. with a knee-buckling breaking ball on his 30th pitch.

Manager Craig Counsell made the call for his closer, and Feliz made quick work of Javy Baez, striking him out on five pitches to protect the one-run lead.

The Brewers went down quickly in the ninth against Chicago closer Wade Davis, and Feliz came back out to try for his sixth save and second in the series.

After Kyle Schwarber popped out, Feliz walked Jon Jay. Pinch-hitter Miguel Montero and Bryant followed with singles as the Cubs knotted the score. Rizzo tapped out to the mound for the second out, but Feliz fell behind Russell, 2-0, before the shortstop crushed a no-doubter out to left-center on a 97-mph fastball to end it.

“I tried to throw him a fastball down and away. It was a little bit in the middle," Feliz said through interpreter Carlos Brizuela. "At that point, I was just trying to get the out. I wasn’t trying to get more guys on base. Just trying to make my pitches and get that out."

Counsell tipped his hat to the Cubs, who made the Brewers' bullpen work.

"Today I would say give the Cubs’ hitters a lot of credit," he said. "In the last four innings they really did a nice job of extending at-bats against us. Jay did a nice job, Bryant did a nice job on the walk. They just kept making our guys work, and Russell puts a ball in play.

"We made enough pitches today. They just did a nice job of staying alive and staying in counts in certain at-bats."

For the third straight game, the Brewers jumped on the Cubs in the opening inning. And yet again it was the duo of Thames and Travis Shaw doing the damage, as Thames drew a walk from Kyle Hendricks and Shaw homered to right for a quick 2-0 Milwaukee lead.

Catcher Jett Bandy's leadoff homer in the second made it 3-0, as the Brewers continue to get offensive production from Bandy as well as Manny Piña. Almora hit a solo homer in the bottom of the second, but Tommy Milone struck out the side and then continued his roll with two more strikeouts in the third.

A two-out RBI single by Jonathan Villar extended the Brewers' advantage to 4-1 in the fourth, and Milone allowed just one hit – Contreras' double – over his final two innings.

The start was Milone's fourth of the season and possibly his last with Matt Garza poised to return from the disabled list in the coming days. If it was he went out on a good note, limiting the Cubs to just three hits and the one run to go along with five strikeouts over 85 pitches.

Contreras' two-out RBI single against Torres in the bottom half of the sixth cut Milwaukee's lead to 4-2. It was Russell who came around to score, after drawing a walk.

Thames finished the day 0 for 2 with three walks, snapping an 11-game hitting streak.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

• Ryan Braun was out of the lineup for a scheduled day off on Wednesday, with Nick Franklin making the start in left field in his place. Braun came into the day a .350 hitter with 13 homers, 58 RBI and 49 runs scored in 68 games at Wrigley Field.

• First pitch was delayed by rain for 55 minutes.

STAT SHEET

• After committing three errors on opening day, the Brewers have committed just six over their last 15 games and one in the last five. Shortstop Orlando Arcia, meanwhile, has gone 38 consecutive games without an error dating to Sept. 5.

• Thames came into the game ranked first in the major leagues in runs (17), extra-base hits (13), total bases (47), slugging percentage (1.000) and OPS (1.491) and was tied for the lead with seven homers. He drew a career-high three walks Wednesday.

TAKEAWAY

Walks will come back to haunt a bullpen more often than not, and there was no better example than Wednesday. The Cubs get credit for grinding out at-bats, and Russell finished the job with his game-winning homer.

RECORD

This year: 8-8  (2-5 home; 6-3 away)

Last year: 7-9

NEXT GAME

Thursday: Brewers vs. Cardinals, 7:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Zach Davies (0-2, 8.79) vs. St. Louis RHP Carlos Martinez (0-2, 3.57). TV: FS Wisconsin Plus. Radio: FM-94.5.