San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman is generally synonymous with two words: Game over.
Hoffman has converted 93 percent of his save opportunities since 1998 and was 26-for-27 this season entering Thursday’s game.
“When you play the San Diego Padres, it’s normally an eight-inning game,” Cubs manager Bruce Kimm said.
Perhaps the Cubs didn’t get the memo.
Alex Gonzalez lined Hoffman’s 0-2 fastball into the gap in right-center field with two outs in the ninth inning to score two runs and deliver an 8-7 victory.
It was Gonzalez’s third game-winning hit of the season after game-ending homers off St. Louis’ Mike Timlin on May 6 and Texas’ John Rocker on June 18.
“Say what you want about this team,” Kimm said, “but our guys fight.”
Given the circumstances Gonzalez could not have produced a more improbable result. The 29-year-old shortstop was batting .124 with two strikes this season.
Hoffman, meanwhile, had given up just two extra-base hits in 88 at-bats after getting two strikes on a hitter. He had registered 50 strikeouts.
Hoffman got ahead on a first-pitch changeup and then fired a fastball that Gonzalez took for strike two.
Given that Gonzalez had struck out on a pitch in the dirt in the 10th inning Wednesday, it figured Hoffman would make him chase on 0-2 pitch.
But Hoffman, pitching for the third straight day, threw an 84-m.p.h. fastball down the middle that Gonzalez whacked into right-center.
“It was intended for the outside black or off the plate,” Hoffman said.
Roosevelt Brown and pinch-runner Delino DeShields scored to end the game and the Cubs’ three-game losing streak.
“I was just protecting the plate,” Gonzalez said, “and trying to put it in play.”
The ninth-inning rally averted what would have been another maddening loss.
The Cubs led 3-2 after seven innings thanks to Jon Lieber’s superb effort and key contributions from Brown and Bill Mueller.
Brown, who went 3-for-4 with a sacrifice fly, started in place of the injured Moises Alou, whose tight right calf has sidelined him for two games. Alou said he expects to play Friday.
Angel Echevarria started for Fred McGriff, who was scratched with a bruised rib cage, where he was hit with a pitch Wednesday.
McGriff singled as a pinch-hitter in the ninth.
The Padres stormed back in the eighth off Kyle Farnsworth, who had another ugly outing, allowing four runs in one-third of an inning.
Farnsworth has given up 10 earned runs in his last seven innings.
“I’m still not going to lose faith in him,” Kimm said.
Mark Bellhorn’s three-run homer in the eighth cut San Diego’s lead to 7-6.
Tom Gordon pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his first victory since May 6, 2001.
“Those last few games have been tough because everyone in that clubhouse believes we should be winning more,” Gordon said. “This was a great game for us.”
