With the temperatures plummeting at Wrigley Field, the Milwaukee Brewers did the little things to help them earn a 7-5 win over the Chicago Cubs in the series opener.
The Brewers drove in runs with squeeze bunts and sacrifice flys. They advanced runners simply by putting the ball in play. On this night, the Brewers wouldn’t rely on the home run, although Rickie Weeks did hit one. Instead, they would play small ball to get the job done.
Shaun Marcum allowed 3-runs in 6-innings of work to earn his first victory of the season. He also helped his own cause by knocking in a run with a suicide squeeze bunt.
Just like last season, the Brewers made things interesting in the 9th. They took a 7-3 lead into the final inning, surrendering a pair of runs before closer John Axford would eventually strike out Chicago’s Starlin Castro on three pitches to preserve the win. Axford also earned his first save of the season.
Chris Narveson pitches game 2 of the series tonight. The Brewers left hander finished 11-8 last season but is 6-1 with a 3.51 ERA in 13 career starts against the Cubs.
