Cubs 6, Brewers 3 (10): A late rally after almost being no-hit ultimately leads to deflating loss (2024)

Willy Adames saved the game for the Milwaukee Brewers, sending it to extra innings with a two-out, game-tying single in the ninth inning on Tuesday night at American Family Field.

In a cruel twist of fate, it only made things sting more for the Brewers in the end. Both figuratively and literally.

Immediately proceeding Adames' heroics, the Chicago Cubs put a five-spot up in the top of the 10th, doing damage on the scoreboard and to the arm of the Brewers' closer with a line drive off the throwing elbow of Trevor Megill that led to him being taken out of the game.

The inning spiraled from there, ultimately resulting in a 6-3 Cubs victory.

Cubs take the lead on bizarre play

Extra innings couldn't have gone any worse for Milwaukee.

Leading off the top of the 10th inning, Mike Tauchman crushed a 99.4 mph line drive right back at Megill, hitting him square in his throwing arm. The ball ricocheted back toward home plate, no more than 15 feet from the mound. Megill, in pain and grimacing, did not go for the ball and rather took a few steps toward the foul line holding his arm as the ball sat there.

Catcher William Contreras was caught in-between, unable to get the ball and leave the plate uncovered because Megill was not moving to cover home, either. That allowed pinch-runner Luis Vazquez to sprint home from second base with the go-ahead run.

Megill immediately was removed from the game. The fact he was unable to pick up the ball after getting hurt didn't wind up mattering any, either, because the Cubs then teed off on Hoby Milner.

Milner came into the game without having warmed up at all in the bullpen and immediately served up singles to Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger before Ian Happ broke the game open with a two-run double to put the Cubs up, 5-1.

The only saving grace in the matter was Megill was found to have no fractures, manager Pat Murphy said.

A broken-bat single by Michael Busch pushed the lead to 6-1.

Willy Adames sends the game to extras

After doing almost nothing on offense all evening and down to their final out with nobody on base in the ninth, the Brewers rallied.

BOX SCORE: Cubs 6, Brewers 3

Christian Yelich drew a two-out walk off Cubs closer Hector Neris and then advanced to second on a balk. That proved critical when Adames lined a single down the line in left to plate Yelich and tie the game at 1-1.

Adames, however, was thrown out at second base trying to stretch the hit into a double. Replay review seemed to favor the Brewers on the play but the call was upheld, sending the game to extras.

Sal Frelick breaks up the Cubs no-hitter in the eighth

Two batters after the Cubs had pulled Ben Brown from the game with a no-hitter under his belt through seven innings, the Brewers notched their first base knock. Sal Frelick lined a single up the middle off Cubs reliever Hayden Wesneski for only the third base runner of the day for Milwaukee.

But the Brewers stranded him there with a pair of pinch-hit strikeouts from Oliver Dunn and Gary Sanchez.

Cody Bellinger preserves the no-hitter with home run robbery

Adames was snakebit once again. And Brown might just have had a horseshoe in his back pocket.

With one out in the seventh and Brown's no-hitter in tact, Adames sent a towering fly ball to right-center field that sent Cody Bellinger back to the fence. The ball had the distance for a game-tying homer to break up the no-hitter, but Bellinger went up and robbed it with a leaping grab.

It was at least the third time a defender has taken a homer away from Adames this year and allowed Brown to get the no-no through seven innings with 10 strikeouts after a punchout of Jake Bauers. And it proved to be a game-saving play.

That was the end of Brown's outing, however, as manager Craig Counsell pulled him following 93 pitches.

Jared Koenig cleans up for Peralta in the sixth

On pitch number 111, the most he's ever thrown in a big-league game, Peralta lost a full-count battle with Christopher Morel and walked him to load the bases with two outs in the sixth. It brought an end to Peralta's day after 11 strikeouts and Jared Koenig took over in relief. The lefty got Ian Happ to strike out swinging to get out of the inning with the Brewers still only trailing by a run.

Brewers being no-hit through six innings

Brown had been completely dominant through six scoreless innings, allowing just two walks and no hits to the Brewers, who still have not scored against Chicago starting pitching in 31⅓ innings this season.

Brown did it entirely on just two pitches, a four-seam fastball and knuckle-curve, but each one had been its own haymakers. The fastball sat at 97 mph and got major ride to Brown's armside, while his curve is a lethal putaway pitch that got six of the 12 whiffs induced by the righty on the evening.

Freddy Peralta's fastball was unhittable early

Peralta got 23 swings against his four-seam fastball through four innings and an outrageous 14 whiffs. Only three balls had been put in play against the pitch, which is averaging 94.3 mph on the night, a tick up from his season average.

Peralta has eight strikeouts through four innings but the Brewers trail, 1-0, as Cubs starter Ben Brown has six strikeouts through four perfect frames.

Michael Busch opens the scoring

Peralta's fastball had been dominant out of the gates, inducing five whiffs and another four called strikes through two innings, but he went to a curveball to open the third inning and it got pounded. Peralta left a get-me-over curve over the heart of the plate and Michael Busch hit it out 408 feet to center for a 1-0 Cubs lead.

Brewers schedule

Brewers vs. Cubs, 6:40 p.m. Wednesday:Milwaukee RHP Bryse Wilson (3-1, 2.86) vs. Chicago LHP Shota Imanaga (5-0, 0.84). Broadcasts: TV – Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620.

Brewers vs. Cubs, 12:10 p.m. Thursday:Milwaukee RHP Colin Rea (4-2, 3.98) vs. Chicago RHP Jameson Taillon (3-2, 2.58). Broadcasts: TV – Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620.