MILWAUKEE (AP) — Victor Caratini hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Monday.
Caratini’s big hit An eventful ninth inning followed with an inside-the-park homer by Seiya Suzuki of Chicago and a basesloaded two base walk by Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich.
After striking out in each of his four previous at bats, Caratini hit a 2-1 sinker by Scott Effross (1-4) over the midfield wall.
It was Caratini’s second walk-off homer of his career. He also did it on June 17, 2021, for San Diego against Cincinnati’s Amir Garrett.
Brad Boxberger (3-1) of Milwaukee worked his way out of a basesloaded jam in the top of the tenth by striking out Willson Contreras and Ian Happ, who had been leading 3-1.
A game that started as a pitching duel between Chicago’s Justin Steele and Milwaukee’s Eric Lauer got out of hand in the ninth inning.
It was 1 all when Suzuki, activated from the injured list earlier in the day, hit a ride by Josh Hader who bounced off an oblique section of the midfield wall, bounced past midfielder Jonathan Davis and rolled down the warning lane back to right field.
Davis eventually chased the ball down and threw to second baseman Luis Urías while Suzuki sprinted around the bases. After Urías threw to the plate, Suzuki slipped on Caratini’s tapping attempt at the plate.
Hader, who entered the game with an 1.05 ERA, worked for the second day in a row after throwing 33 pitches in a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday. He also gave up an one-out double to Nico Hoerner, but left him on third base.
Cubs closer David Robertson was unable to defend the lead.
Urías led off with a single and with one out, Keston Hiura hit a ground-rule double that bounced over the wall in left midfield.
Robertson struckout Jace Peterson for the second out, but hit Kolten Wong with a pitch to load the bases. After the Cubs held a conference on the mound, Robertson stayed in the game and walked Yelich on four pitches to score the tying run.
Willy Adames had a chance to win the game for the Brewers, but struckout Robertson.
Steele held Milwaukee hitless for the first four innings and helped the Cubs take a 1-0 lead into the seventh, when Pedro Severino delivered a two-out, tying run. The Cubs’ lone run through the first eight innings came in the third as rookie Nelson Velázquez hit his first home run in his 14th career game.
Lauer struckout nine, walked two and gave up two hits and one run in six innings. Steele also struckout nine batters and threw 108 pitches high in his career, while walking four, two hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings.
TRAINERS ROOM
cubs: FROM Suzuki played for the first time since May 26 due to a sprained left ring finger. …The Cubs gave way to Suzuki by going from Narciso Crook to Triple-A Iowa.
Brewers: OF Hunter Renfroe walked on Monday and was on the field for the first time since being on the injured list. Renfroe went on the injured list June 26, retroactive to June 23, with a strained left calf.
NEXT ONE
This three-game run continues on Tuesday as Kyle Hendricks (4-6, 4.76) starts for the Cubs and Jason Alexander (2-0, 3.82) for the Brewers in a right-hander matchup.
†
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports