Aramis Ramirez hit a solo home run and drove in a pair of runs in the eighth inning to lift the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-3 win over the Chicago Cubs in Sunday's series finale.
Gerardo Parra pinch hit to lead off the decisive eighth against Pedro Strop (0-1) and doubled to left-center. Carlos Gomez followed with a bunt single and Jean Segura got hit in the helmet with a pitch to load the bases. Segura walked to first base on his own power but was removed from the game.
After Parra was called out at the plate on Ryan Braun's double-play grounder and Adam Lind was walked intentionally, Ramirez delivered a two-out single to short left that broke a 3-3 tie.
Jonathan Broxton struck out two in the eighth inning and Francisco Rodriguez got some help from Ramirez at third base to nail down his fourth save. Two of the final three outs were line drives at Ramirez.
Jimmy Nelson went 6 2/3 innings for the Brewers, yielding three runs on seven hits while striking out six. Will Smith (1-0) finished the seventh inning by striking out Anthony Rizzo.
The Brewers scored one run apiece in the second, third and fourth innings to take an early lead.
Ramirez homered off Jason Hammel in the second, Carlos Gomez plated Nelson with a single in the third and Khris Davis lifted a sacrifice fly to center an inning later.
Hammel opened the scoring for Chicago with a sacrifice fly of his own in the home second. The Cubs trailed 3-1 until the fifth, when Nelson allowed consecutive two-out RBI knocks from the heart of Chicago's order.
Rizzo tripled to center to score Dexter Fowler, and Kris Bryant broke out of an 0-for-11 slump with an RBI double to right.
[SportsNetwork.com]
