Cubs walk all over Brewers, then hang on for 8-5 win
MILWAUKEE - The Cubs have always liked what Reed Johnson gives them.
They also liked what he took away from the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday night in a messy 8-5 victory that enabled the Cubs to finish the road trip with a 4-2 record.
The Cubs needed Johnson because starting right fielder Milton Bradley pulled up lame with a strained right groin while running the bases in a 4-run fourth inning.
With cold and wet weather expected for today's home opener, it's more than likely Bradley won't play.
Johnson turned out to be a lifesaver in the bottom of the fifth, with the Cubs holding a 6-2 lead.
After pitcher Ryan Dempster loaded the bases, Brewers slugger Prince Fielder drove the ball to deep right. Johnson sized it up and went to the wall, where he made a leaping backhanded catch to save a grand slam.
The play went for a sacrifice fly, and the Brewers managed just 2 runs for the inning.
"I've never robbed a home run before; that was my first one," Johnson said. "I told Prince at first the next inning, 'I know you don't want to hear that.'
"That was the first time I've ever done that. I've always talked that when we're practicing that in the outfield, about how I've never got one in the game."
Manager Lou Piniella termed Johnson an "old-fashioned, hard-nosed ballplayer." However, he had to watch his second starting player go down to an injury on the trip. Catcher Geovany Soto missed four starts because of a shoulder strain. Piniella said the Cubs wouldn't know until today how Bradley is.
The injury came during an inning when the Cubs drew 4 bases-loaded walks and scored 4 runs on 1 hit. Bradley, who was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a walk to Mike Fontenot. He stopped at third on Ryan Theriot's single up the middle.
"We had extra batting practice today, and I don't know if that had anything to do with it, with the coolness," Piniella said. "But he said he felt it as he approached second base. He made a wise choice at just pulling up at third because if there something wrong there, he could have caused a little damage."
Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster (1-0) labored through 6 innings, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs. The Cubs got good setup work from Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol before Kevin Gregg allowed a run in the ninth before striking out Fielder with two aboard.
"I was trying to keep the runs to a minimum and just get them to hit a sac fly," Dempster joked about Johnson's big catch. "He (Fielder) just happened to hit it into our bullpen, and Reed went and caught it."