Cubs 6, Brewers 3
CHICAGO -- Light-hitting Scott Hairston delivered a game-winning sacrifice fly on Tuesday night as the Chicago Cubs rallied for a 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Hairston, a pinch-hitter with a .125 average, drove home Nate Schierholtz from third with a high sacrifice fly off Milwaukee reliever Alfredo Figaro in the eighth for the go-ahead run as the Cubs snapped a four-game losing streak at frigid Wrigley Field.
Schierholtz tagged up and beat the throw from Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez.
But Chicago wasn't finished. With two runners still on base, leadoff batter David DeJesus followed with a single to right to drive home Alberto Gonzalez and Luis Valbuena.
For the second straight game Milwaukee grabbed another early lead. But this time the Brewers couldn't hold it.
The Cubs trailed 3-1 entering the seventh but chased starter Wily Peralta and forced a 3-3 tie as Starlin Castro bounced into a fielder's choice that scored pinch hitter Steve Clevenger and Anthony Rizzo doubled home DeJesus after two were out.
Peralta worked 6 2/3 innings while giving up six hits and two earned runs. He walked two and struck out five.
Milwaukee used four pitchers and John Axford (0-2) absorbed the loss.
Cubs starter Travis Wood departed after 6 1/3 innings, including a sloppy second that resulted in all three Milwaukee runs. He gave up 7 hits and 2 earned runs. He walked three and struck out a pair.
The win went to reliever Carlos Marmol (1-1) who worked one inning. Kyuji Fujikawa worked the ninth and earned his second save.
The season's first night game in Chicago began with 39 degree temperatures, 23 mile-per-hour northwest winds and wind chills below freezing.
Brewers outfielder Norichika Aoki led off the game with a double down the left-field line, the seventh game he's hit safely in. He advanced to third after a double steal with one out engineered with Ryan Braun -- who reached on a walk -- but both were stranded after catcher Jonathan Lucroy and third baseman Alex Gonzalez struck out.
The Brewers then scored three runs in a second inning marred by a pair of Cubs errors.
Carlos Gomez lined a leadoff single to right and scored on Jean Segura's double to the left field corner with none out. Segura moved second when Yuniesky Betancourt reached when a throw from Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro drew first baseman Anthony Rizzo off the bag.
Both runners advanced when a pickoff throw from Cubs catcher Welington Castro to second instead sailed into center field. Segura scored when Castro bobbled an Aoki infielder grounder, leaving runners at first and third.
After Rickie Weeks walked to load the bases, Braun's infield single brought home Betancourt.
The Cubs finally put a base runner in scoring position in the third. Castro reached on an infield single and RIzzo walked with two out. But Soriano grounded to third to end the inning.
Chicago scored once in the fifth thanks, in part, to an Gonzalez error that helped give the Cubs runners at second and third.
David DeJesus singled and Castillo slapped a grounder to Gonzalez for what appeared to be a routine double play. But the throw went into short right field. Rizzo then grounded into a fielder's choice that scored DeJesus.
NOTES: Brewers manager Ron Roenicke was in the dugout Tuesday night after an early morning hospital trip with severe back pain. Roenicke's wife, Karen, told Milwaukee's WTMJ Radio that her husband's back had locked up around 5:30 a.m. ... Milwaukee called up catcher-first baseman Blake Lalli from AAA Nashville and moved first baseman Corey Hart from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list ... Tuesday's first night game ties a mark for earliest by home game number since the Cubs installed lights in 1988. Chicago dropped a 12-4 decision in their second home game in 1989. The Cubs and Brewers will also meet in a Wednesday night game ... Entering Tuesday, Cubs starters were batting a collective .186 (43-for-231), the second-lowest in the majors ... Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro appeared in his 204th consecutive game Tuesday, the second longest active streak in baseball. He's well behind Detroit's Prince FIelder (350). ... Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney, on the 15-day disabled list with a knee injury, is reportedly set for a three-game rehab later this week at a location to be determined ... The Cubs nearby Class A affiliate -- the Kane County Cougars -- snapped a season-opening four-game losing streak with a 6-5 victory over Clinton on Monday. The Cougars are located in Chicago's western suburbs, just 40 miles from Wrigley Field.
