Overbay, Spivey lift Brewers in extras
Milwaukee ties in ninth inning, pulls away for win in 12th
CHICAGO -- The golden sombrero on Geoff Jenkins' head was a bit less weighty
thanks to a few timely hits by his teammates.
Jenkins struck out four times in his first four plate appearances for his
so-called "golden sombrero," and three of his whiffs came with runners in
scoring position. But Junior Spivey's first-to-home dash on Lyle Overbay's
ninth-inning double forced extra innings, and Spivey and Overbay came through
with RBI knocks in the 12th that lifted the Brewers to a 6-3 win over the
Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday.
"Sometimes you have those days where you're not seeing the ball, and today
was one of those days for me," Jenkins said. "The main thing is that we got
some timely hitting and won that ballgame. That's a great comeback win."
It was a day of firsts for the Brewers, who spoiled the Cubs' home opener for
a sellout crowd of 39,892. Jorge De La Rosa pitched two innings for his first
Major League win, Mike Adams worked the 12th for his first Major League save
and free-swinging slugger Russell Branyan even chipped in with a sacrifice
bunt -- his first in 11-plus seasons of professional baseball.
And, perhaps most importantly, the Brewers jumped out to their first 3-0
start since 1995.
"I think with the additions we made this offseason, that's going to get us
over the hump," said Spivey, who had three hits for the second straight game,
including a single that plated the two go-ahead runs in the 12th. "And what
we have in the Minor League system, that's definitely going to get us to the
next level.
"And it's going to start this year. I think we definitely have a chance to
surprise some people and make the postseason. I definitely believe that. We
all believe that. If we can gel together, we're going to be OK."
Spivey never would have been in position for his 12th-inning, two-run single
off Cubs right-hander John Leicester (0-1) if not for some aggressive
baserunning back in the ninth.
Cubs closer LaTroy Hawkins was one out away from his first save when Spivey
hit a two-out single to right field. Overbay followed, and was down to his
final strike when he poked a double down the left-field line, where Todd
Hollandsworth raced to track it down.
Hollandsworth bobbled the ball, but by that time, third base coach Rich
Donnelly had already waved Spivey home.
"I looked up and [Donnelly] was waving, so I had to kick it up another gear,"
Spivey said.
Said Donnelly, whose view of Hollandsworth was blocked by the umpire and Cubs
third baseman Aramis Ramirez: "Ned [Yost, the Brewers' manager] always says,
'We didn't come in here to tie.' So we took a shot, and it worked out good.
Junior is an excellent baserunner and he ran hard all the way."
Because of Hollandsworth's bobble, Spivey scored easily with the tying run.
Had Hollandsworth picked up the ball cleanly, it would have been a close play
at the plate.
"I think it was worth the gamble right there," Yost said.
Suddenly tied at 3, the Brewers stranded men in scoring position in the 10th
and 11th innings, but finally cashed in when Spivey came to the plate in the
12th. Facing Leicester, Spivey lined a 1-2 pitch to center field to drive
home Branyan and J.J. Hardy for the lead.
The Brewers otherwise struggled in the clutch. The team collected 12 hits and
12 walks, but stranded 16 baserunners and went 3-for-17 with runners in
scoring position.
De La Rosa (1-0) pitched two dominant innings for his first Major League win
and Adams worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the 12th for his first Major League save.
"That first one is a big one," Adams said. "Now they come every day,
hopefully."
Carlos Lee went 2-for-4, including an RBI double for the Brewers, while
Branyan drew a bases-loaded walk to briefly tie the game in the sixth. For
the Cubs, Jason Dubois hit a two-run, first-inning single off Milwaukee
starter Chris Capuano and former Brewer Jeromy Burnitz hit an RBI double in
the bottom of the sixth.
Burnitz's opposite-field double was one of five hits off Capuano, who allowed
three runs in 5 1/3 innings before Yost went to the bullpen. Capuano struck
out seven, two shy of a career high, but he walked three batters.
Chicago starter Kerry Wood allowed only four hits in 5 2/3 innings, but was
uncharacteristically wild with his fastball, issuing five walks and a hit
batsman. He missed most of Spring Training with shoulder and back ailments.
"They're a better team," Wood said of the Brewers. "They're definitely a
better team than they were the last couple years. I think Overbay has made
some adjustments. Adding Carlos Lee is obviously adding a big stick there.
You have to make sure there aren't any guys on base when he comes up."
Jenkins was the second Brewer to strike out four times in one game this
season. Spivey did it on Opening Day, but came back with three hits on
Wednesday and three more against the Cubs on Friday.
"As long as these guys are doing something to help us win every single day,
the four strikeouts don't matter," Yost said.
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