Nomar Garciaparra scored the go-ahead run on Claudio Vargas’ wild pitch in the 11th inning and Mark Grudzielanek added an RBI single to lead the Cubs to a 2-1 win over the Montreal Expos on Wednesday night.
Garciaparra hit a one-out single off Vargas (5-5) in the 11th. Sammy Sosa singled one out later, and Ramon Martinez walked to load the bases.
Vargas bounced his next pitch in the dirt past catcher Brian Schneider, allowing Garciaparra to come home with the game’s first run.
Grudzielanek singled to center to make it 2-0, but center-fielder Endy Chavez threw Martinez out at the plate to end the inning.
LaTroy Hawkins (4-4) allowed Chavez’s RBI-grounder in the bottom half of the inning, but held on for the win in two innings of relief.
The Cubs purchased infielder Neifi Perez’s contract from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, and newly acquired outfielder Ben Grieve also joined the team in Montreal.
Grieve may be the Cubs’ primary left-handed bat off the bench when they need a home run.
