Bill Mueller ended his 0-for-9 slump in style.
With the Cubs in danger of overtaking the Brewers for the worst record in the National League, Mueller drove in two runs with a ground-rule double in the 10th inning to lead his team to a 5-1 win in Milwaukee.
Mueller ripped closer Mike DeJean’s 1-0 fastball to deep right-center field.
“He looked very relaxed up there,” manager Don Baylor said. “Knowing that Sammy Sosa was behind him [in the order], you’re not looking for any trick pitch.”
Mueller wasn’t the only Cub who earned vindication.
Moises Alou, mired in a season-long funk, came through in the ninth.
With two outs and a runner at third, Brewers manager Jerry Royster intentionally walked Fred McGriff. Alou responded by bashing DeJean’s 1-1 pitch into left-center to score Chris Stynes.
“I stayed back, trusted my hands and got good wood,” Alou said. “One thing that helped me was that we had a runner on third. I know [DeJean] has a good split-fingered fastball but he was afraid to bounce that, so I was pretty sure he would throw me some strikes.”
Alou’s blow ended a streak in which the Cubs had lost their last 62 games when trailing after eight innings.
“Hopefully this is what we need to get things rolling,” said hard-luck starter Jason Bere. “It’s almost a shame we have a day off [Thursday].”
Despite his superb outing Wednesday, Bere would have fallen to 1-9 had the Cubs not rallied. Bere hasn’t won since April 12 even though he has given up only three earned runs in his last three starts combined.
Wednesday night’s win should temporarily cool speculation about manager Don Baylor’s job security.
While team President Andy MacPhail remains supportive, he can’t offer any long-term promises.
Like Baylor he, too, is miffed by what he sees.
“While we play with some effort, there hasn’t been a lot of enthusiasm,” he said. “Part of it is a natural byproduct of not hitting. When you’re not hitting, and not many people are on base, there isn’t much energy.”
Baylor agreed.
“It’s no fun when you’re going three-up, three-down [inning after inning], night after night,” he said. “You look dead then.”
Earlier in the season MacPhail said it was unfair to judge Baylor because of injuries to Alou, Kyle Farnsworth, Alex Gonzalez, Todd Hundley and Tom Gordon.
Gordon is the only one who hasn’t returned.
“You try to be patient,” MacPhail said. “Right now we look a lot better on paper than we do on the field.
“Most of our players are below their [lifetime] averages in the major categories. We have to believe that some of that will take care of itself naturally and they’ll play to their more accustomed level.”
Ruben Quevedo limited his former team to three hits over eight innings before the Cubs rallied in the ninth and put the game away in the 10th.
After the game the Cubs outrighted reliever Pat Mahomes to Triple-A Iowa. Right-hander Carlos Zambrano is slated to be activated from the disabled list Friday.
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CUBS INTERLEAGUE SCHEDULE
Friday at Seattle, 9:05
Saturday at Seattle, 3:05
Sunday at Seattle, 3:35
June 14 vs. White Sox, 2:20
June 15 vs. White Sox, 12:15
June 16 vs. White Sox, 1:20
June 18 vs. Texas, 7:05
June 19 vs. Texas, 1:20
June 20 vs. Texas, 1:20
June 24 vs. Cincinnati, 7:05
June 25 vs. Cincinnati, 1:20
June 26 vs. Cincinnati, 1:20
June 27 vs. Cincinnati, 1:20
June 28 at White Sox, 1:05
June 29 at White Sox, 12:15
June 30 at White Sox, 1:05
