Cubs 5 - 2 Brewers
Final
  for this game

Alcantara, Rizzo lead Cubs' win over Brewers

Sep 28, 2014 - 11:32 PM Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Arismendy Alcantara's two-run double in the sixth inning helped send the Chicago Cubs out on a positive note with a 5- 2 decision over the Milwaukee Brewers in the season finale for both teams.

Antony Rizzo added a two-run homer, part of a 3-for-4 day for the Chicago first baseman.

Alcantara's tie-breaking hit made a winner out of Jacob Turner (6-11), who yielded a pair of runs on four hits over five innings, and enabled Chicago (73-89) to end its 2014 campaign with victories in four of its last five games despite a fifth straight last-place finish in the NL Central.

"I think as an organization we all feel some momentum going into the offseason, and that's what we need," said Rizzo. "Not only the players, but the front office as well."

Milwaukee (82-80), on the other hand, closed out a brutal final six weeks of its season. Owning a 2 1/2-game lead atop the NL Central on August 19, the Brewers fell out of playoff contention entirely following an 11-25 finish.

"Guys worked hard, played hard, and it didn't go our way," said Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy. "We just slumped a few times this year. Two long losing streaks, that's what beat us."

Mike Fiers (6-5) struck out seven over six innings for Milwaukee, but surrendered four Cubs runs -- three of which were earned.

Rizzo's third hit of the afternoon came on a leadoff single with the game tied 2-2 in the sixth inning. After Jorge Soler reached on an error by Lucroy -- playing first base in the finale -- he and Rizzo executed a double steal in front of Alcantara's bases-clearing liner down the right-field line.

The Brewers mustered just one hit against Chicago's four-man relief crew over the final four innings, with Hector Rondon finishing off the win with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 29th save.

Chicago tacked on one last run before Rondon entered, as Chris Valaika singled to open the ninth and later came around on Chris Coghlan's fielder's choice grounder.

Coghlan drew a walk to begin the contest and scored on Rizzo's 32nd homer of the season, a towering blast that easily cleared the wall in center.

Milwaukee got a run back in its half of the second. Turner walked Jean Segura and the Brewers' shortstop stole second before Martin Maldonado dropped down a bunt single, in which Cubs third baseman Luis Valbuena made an errant throw to enable Segura to come home.

The Brewers manufactured another run in the fifth to pull even. Logan Schafer worked a leadoff walk and moved a base when Turner uncorked a wild pitch, then crossed the plate on Elian Herrera's single to left.

Game Notes

Chicago's 73 wins are its highest total since a 75-87 finish in 2010 ... Lucroy finished 2-for-4 and ends the season with an NL-best 53 doubles, becoming the first catcher in modern MLB history to lead a league in that category, and a .301 average ... The Cubs went 31-28 since July 28.






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