Chicago swept the three-game series and has won seven of eight while the Marlins dropped half a game behind St. Louis for the second wildcard berth.
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CHICAGO (AP) – The Chicago Cubs rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning – capped by a bases-loaded walk for a tie and a wild pitch to score the winning run – for a 5-4 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday and a sweep of the three-game series. After Kris Bryant was called out on 3-2 pitch that looked suspiciously like a ball, Rizzo was intentionally walked to set the stage for Zobrist’s walk and Ramos’ wild outside pitch to rookie Willson Contreras.
“I didn’t have command over anything”, Ramos said.
His fastball was “flying out”, his changeup was “out of the zone” and his slider was “hit and miss”. By this time Ramos had thrown 33 pitches, the most he had thrown in any appearance this season.
“If you think I have them, then change the signs”, Teixeira said.
“It’s painful, but it’s still a game”, he added.
He gave up three runs – two on Ryan Braun’s homer – and eight hits with five strikeouts in eight innings. Travis Wood replaced him and Chris Coghlan’s diving catch of Christian Yelich’s looping liner to left field with two on ended the threat.
Fowler scored from third on a ball-four wild pitch that sent Rizzo to first and cut the deficit to 4-2 with none out.
Miguel Montero started the decisive rally with a leadoff double in the ninth and went to third on a single by Javier Baez. Baez singled him to third and Szczur walked to load the bases. Dexter Fowler made it 3-2 with a sacrifice fly, and all the runners advanced.
Ramos then walked pinch hitter Szczur to load the bases. Wednesday’s victory was just as dramatic as Sunday’s 7-6 comeback against the Mariners in 12 innings whenthey overcame a 6-0 deficit to score the tying run in the ninth on a wild pitch and then the game victor on pitcher Jon Lester’s pinch squeeze bunt.
“The last couple of innings there, everybody did a good job of taking tough pitches and doing something with the good one”, Zobrist said. “You don’t really want to get to Zobrist”.
“May I just comment on our fans?”
Mathis’ blast snapped a 1-1 tie in the seventh and was just the second of the season for the backup catcher. The Cubs placed RHP Jason Hammel on the bereavement list Wednesday and recalled RHP Justin Grimm from Triple-A Iowa.
The Cubs maintained their impressive nine-game lead in the NL Central division, while surging Colorado gained further ground in the NL West by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers, reducing the gap between those teams to five games.
The San Diego Padres showed off what was old and new in their 12-3 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.
“All good teams have to believe that when they’re down late in the game they can come back and win games”, said Zobrist, whose ill-advised sacrifice bunt with two on and nobody out in the eighth (trailing 4-2) wound up lost in the celebration of the ninth-inning finish. “We got a couple off Strop and just couldn’t get another”.
The Marlins appeared on track for a victory after Mathis clubbed a go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh while starter Tom Koehler allowed just one run on five hits.
Cubs starter John Lackey pitched seven innings and settled for his seventh no-decison of the season.
“I think this is the first time we’ve done it this year”. “We have a group that fights until the last out”. Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi stands near the dugout before batting practice prior to the team’s baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, in Seattle.
Ichiro Suzuki lined out softly to shortstop as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning against Lackey.
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Marlins: 1B Justin Bour (ankle) went 0 for 3 with Triple-A New Orleans and was expected to play one more minor league rehab game Wednesday before returning Friday at Colorado.
