After stern wake-up call, Cubs aim for series win against Brewers

An irate Justin Steele begged his Chicago Cubs teammates to “wake the (expletive) up” on Saturday after a sloppy defensive third inning.

The Cubs heeded the passionate command of their starting pitcher and pulled off a 5-3 victory over Milwaukee in a result that ended the Brewers’ five-game winning streak.

The potential impact of Steele’s wake-up call will become more apparent Sunday afternoon when Chicago meets Milwaukee again for the rubber match of a three-game series.

Steele’s outburst symbolized the boiling point of two months of frustration for the Cubs, who entered Saturday in last place in the National League Central after losing 36 of 58 games since April 26 following a 17-9 start.

The left-hander got heated after the Cubs botched a rundown before landing a catchable ball in center field, helping the Brewers tie Saturday’s game at 2-2.

Steele said his displeasure was not meant to be scathing.

“I love everybody in that locker room,” he said. “I know how good we can be. I know what it takes. Yeah, it definitely comes from a good place. It comes from a place of love and passion. I want to win baseball games. That’s what I come out to do every day.”

Chicago left fielder Ian Happ understood Steele’s frustration.

“It’s an intense game,” Happ said. “I think every guy in this clubhouse is competing and trying to win baseball games every day. And when you go through a period like we did, that frustration is real. It’s just about staying focused.”

Happ eased the Cubs’ stress Saturday by hitting the winning home run, a two-run homer off the struggling Joel Payamps to break a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning.

Payamps has allowed five runs in his last six relief outings, totaling 4 1/3 innings. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy, however, was more disappointed with Payamps’ control issues on Saturday than with the home run.

“You can’t make people walk,” Murphy said. “You’re in the Major League and if you’re pitching at that point in the game, walks are not an option. If you look at our pitching staff, a lot of our success comes from not giving away free bases .”

Payamps walked three batters in the eighth inning, including a leadoff pass to Seiya Suzuki before Happ hit his second game-winning home run in three days.

Happ delivered the decisive two-run shot in the 10th inning of Chicago’s 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.

He homered twice, doubled twice and drove in four runs in his current four-game hitting streak.

Happ has hit just 2-for-24 (.083) in his career against the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta (5-4, ERA 4.03), who will be in the starting lineup on Sunday against fellow right-handed pitcher Kyle Hendricks ( 1-5, 6.87).

Peralta, 28, made two starts against the Cubs in May, allowing four runs in 10 2/3 innings. He has played against Chicago 17 times (12 starts) in his career, going 5-2 with a 3.34 ERA.

Last Monday, he was given a no-decision after allowing two runs in five innings in Milwaukee’s 6-3 home win over the Texas Rangers.

Hendricks pitched seven innings of two-run action in the Cubs’ 5-1 loss to the Giants on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old is 10-8 with a 3.54 ERA in 36 appearances against the Brewers. Hendricks’ second relief outing against Milwaukee in his 11-year career came on May 29, when he allowed three runs in 3 2/3 innings in his team’s 10-6 loss.

–Field Level Media