CHICAGO (AP) -Matt Murton raced home on Brett Myers’ bases-loaded wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday night as the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 and took over first place in the NL Central.
Murton started the inning with a sinking liner to left that Jayson Werth dove for but couldn’t keep in his glove. Murton got a leadoff double and made third on Myers’ wild pitch as Ronny Cedeno tried to bunt.
After Cedeno walked, Myers (1-3) also walked Jacque Jones intentionally to load the bases. Jason Kendall struck out, but with a 1-1 count on pinch-hitter Cliff Floyd, Myers unleashed the wild pitch that gave the Cubs the win.
The Cubs, who were 8 1/2 games behind on June 23, finally overcame the Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago’s win, coupled with the Mets’ 8-5 win at Milwaukee, puts the Cubs percentage points ahead of the Brewers.
The Phils had threatened in the top of the ninth. Jimmy Rollins singled and stole second and third before Aaron Rowand and Burrell drew two-out walks off Ryan Dempster (2-3) to load the bases, before Carlos Ruiz grounded into a force play.
Cubs starter Rich Hill, batting just .108, hit an RBI single in the second to score Kendall, who had doubled, putting the Cubs up 2-1. Derrek Lee opened the third with his second double, but after getting the next two batters, Phils starter Jamie Moyer gave up a two-out RBI single to Ronny Cedeno and run-scoring bloop double to Jones that made it 4-1. The 44-year-old lefty threw 38 pitches in the inning.
The Phils rallied against Hill in the fifth as Tadahito Iguchi blooped a double in front of Jones, Rollins had an RBI single and Ryan Howard delivered with a run-scoring double. When Jones’ throw got past the cutoff man, Howard tried to race to third but was cut down on Lee’s strong throw. And it cost the Phils a run when Rowand followed with his 16th homer to tie the game at 4.
Moyer, who began his career with the Cubs after they chose him in the sixth round of the 1984 draft, lasted five innings and gave up nine hits and four runs.
Hill’s error and wild pitch helped the Phillies score a run in the first, but he escaped a big inning after the first three batters reached. Hill threw wildly past first after fielding leadoff hitter Chris Roberson’s slow grounder for a two-base error, Iguchi singled and Hill hit Rollins to load the bases.
After striking out Howard and Rowand, Hill was nearly out of the inning before uncorking a wild pitch to allow Roberson to score. Burrell walked to re-load the bases before Ruiz popped out.
Murton hit a two-out RBI single in the first just past a fully extended Rollins at short to score Lee, who’d doubled.
Notes: Moyer made it to the majors with the Cubs in 1986. … Cubs RBI leader Aramis Ramirez was out of starting lineup to rest a sore knee but pinch-hit in the eighth when the Cubs also loaded the bases. … Werth was activated from the 15-day disabled list before the game. He had been out since June 28 with a strained left wrist.
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