 got six outs for his first major league win. Drew Pomeranz got two big outs in the eighth before Josh Hader finished the four-hitter.The Brewers were clinging to a 1-0 lead before Yelich connected with two outs in the ninth, driving a full-count pitch to center field. It was his first homer since Aug. 17 at Washington and No. 42 on the year.Yu Darvish was slated to start for Chicago, but the Japanese right-hander was scratched with right forearm tightness. Darvish was coming off perhaps his best performance with the team, pitching eight sparkling innings in a 5-2 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night.Darvish has been dealing with the issue for about five starts, and manager Joe Maddon said he thinks the pitcher will be able to take his next turn in the rotation Saturday at Milwaukee.''Just like a precautionary thing,'' Maddon said.Tyler Chatwood (5-3) replaced Darvish and allowed the game's first run on Orlando Arcia's groundout in the fourth. Ben Gamel set up the play when he went from first to third on Cory Spangenberg's one-out single to left-center.The Brewers had the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth, but David Phelps struck out Spangenberg to end the inning.The Cubs left nine runners on base and went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Kris Bryant led off the eighth with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. But Junior Guerra fanned Victor Caratini before Pomeranz struck out Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward to end the inning.HE'S HERECubs utilityman Ben Zobrist did not play in his first game since he was activated from the restricted list Saturday night. He was standing in the on-deck circle when Tony Kemp lined out to right to end the game.Zobrist left the team in May to be with his family while he was going through a divorce.NO MOREMilwaukee designated Jeremy Jeffress for assignment after the reliever played a key role in the Brewers' run to the NL Championship Series last year. The right-hander, who turns 32 on Sept. 21, has struggled this season, going 3-4 with a 5.02 ERA and spending time on the injured list.TRAINER'S ROOMBrewers: 3B Mike Moustakas (left palm, wrist) was out of the starting lineup for the fifth straight game. He pinch-hit in the sixth and fouled out. ... Rookie INF Keston Hiura has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. He got hurt on Friday, and president of baseball operations David Stearns said Hiura is expected to be sidelined for two weeks. ... RHP Jimmy Nelson (elbow soreness) and LHP Brent Suter (Tommy John surgery) were reinstated from the 60-day injured list.Cubs: INF Daniel Descalso was activated from the 10-day IL. He had been sidelined by a sprained left ankle.UP NEXTBrewers: RHP Adrian Houser (6-5, 3.52 ERA) starts Monday against Gerrit Cole (15-5, 2.85 ERA) and Houston. Houser left Tuesday's 6-3 loss to St. Louis because of left hip discomfort. Cole is 11-0 with a 2.06 ERA in his last 16 starts.Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (9-9, 3.47 ERA) faces Seattle on Monday in the opener of a two-game set. Hendricks went 1-1 with a 5.20 ERA in five August starts. LHP Justus Sheffield (0-1, 7.94 ERA) makes his third career start for the Mariners.---Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Zobrist expected back for Cubs in finale vs. BrewersFLMThe Chicago Cubs expect to welcome back a familiar face when they host the Milwaukee Brewers in the rubber match of a three-game series Sunday afternoon.Veteran Ben Zobrist, who left the team in May because of personal reasons, is set to rejoin his teammates as part of an expanded roster for September. The 38-year-old played a vital role in the Cubs' 2016 World Series championship run and is hoping to be part of another playoff chase.However, the postseason is far from guaranteed for the Cubs, who enter the day trailing the first-place St. Louis Cardinals by 2 1/2 in the National League Central division.Milwaukee sits in third place, 6 1/2 games back of the Cardinals and four games behind the Cubs. The Brewers know they need to put together a strong final month in order to prevent a long offseason.Injuries to key players such as rookie second baseman Keston Hiura and infielder Mike Moustakas do not help."We've got some guys that are banged up, so we're going to have to have guys step up," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said to reporters.Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish (5-6, 4.25 ERA) is scheduled to make his 28th start of the season. He has 183 strikeouts in 152 1/3 innings but also has given up an NL-leading 31 homers.Darvish has been much more effective since the All-Star break. He is 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA in nine starts in the second half. Before the break, he was 2-4 with a 5.01 ERA in 18 starts.In four career starts against the Brewers, Darvish is 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA. He earned a victory in his only meeting against Milwaukee this season as he gave up one run on five hits in five innings.Darvish credited Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel for some of his recent success. Kimbrel taught Darvish how to use a new grip on his curveball, which has led to more break on his pitches, keeping hitters off balance."My (Aug. 21 start), right before the game, in the bullpen session, I tried the hard curveball, which Kimbrel taught me a week ago, and I felt good," Darvish told the Chicago Sun-Times. "That's why I used it." Meanwhile, Kimbrel marveled at how quickly Darvish mastered the pitch."That guy's amazing," Kimbrel said. "He can do anything he wants." Meanwhile, the Brewers will turn to veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez (2-2, 4.34), who is slated to make his 14th start. He is seeking his 130th career victory over parts of 12 seasons with the Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals and Milwaukee.In 13 career starts against the Cubs, Gonzalez is 4-3 with a 2.77 ERA. He already has faced the Cubs three times this season, going 1-0 with a 1.65 ERA (three earned runs in 16 1/3 innings).Gonzalez will try to bounce back from his last outing, in which he allowed nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits in five innings against the Cardinals. He issued four walks for the third start in a row."It was definitely one of those games where it was on me," Gonzalez told reporters after his performance against the Cardinals. "The whole game, I did nothing to help us out. Put us behind extremely early. It just wasn't my night." --Field Level Media
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