Stars und Sternchen! » a par but needed more

MILWAUKEE - Anthony Rizzo was grateful for Pedro Strop on Friday night. An obscure rule confused Rizzo and cost the Chicago Cubs a run, but the bullpen managed to secure the road win.Chris Coghlan hit a leadoff homer in the first and Javier Baez had his second career three-hit game, leading the Cubs to a 6-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.The odd play occurred in the eighth inning and resulted in Cubs manager Rick Renteria being ejected.Second base umpire Jeff Nelson called a balk on Strop, but Carlos Gomez hit the right-handers pitch on the ground to third.When Rizzo heard the balk call, he didnt cover first base. Luis Valbuena held the ball at third and Gomez reached on a single.I heard balk, and Ive never seen that play, not on TV, not ever, Rizzo said. Thankfully, it didnt cost us the game.The rulebook essentially gives a batter a free swing in that situation. Usually the ball is dead on a balk, but the rule has one key exception: Unless the batter reaches first on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batter, or otherwise, and all other runners advance at least one base, in which case the play proceeds without reference to the balk.Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said his team is taught to swing at all pitches on balk calls.As a hitter, if you ever hear a balk, you just swing at wherever the pitch is, he said.Renteria argued whether Strop had balked and was ejected. The Brewers had runners on the corners and one out, and Rickie Weeks hit a run-scoring groundout to make it 6-4. Ryan Braun then struck out to end the inning.We hit pretty well with runners in scoring position, but we just havent come through the past couple of weeks, Weeks said.Milwaukee went 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. Jean Segura went 3 for 4 with his fifth homer.The Brewers lost for the 24th time in 34 games on a day the team said it would retire uniform No. 1 to honour retiring Commissioner Bud Selig, who bought the Seattle Pilots out of bankruptcy and moved them to Milwaukee in 1970.Coghlan homered on Jimmy Nelsons second pitch of the game. He also doubled in the third and scored three times.Neil Ramirez (3-3) pitched a perfect inning for the win and Hector Rondon got three outs for his 28th save in 32 chances.Nelson (2-9) was charged with five runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings.Baez singled in each of his first three plate appearances and drove in two runs. It was his second three-hit performance in 50 games since joining the team on Aug. 5. He also had three hits, including two home runs, in his third game on Aug. 7.NERVOUS STARTEric Jokisch pitched four innings for Chicago in his first major league start. He allowed two runs, one earned, and three hits while throwing 86 pitches.I was a lot more nervous than I thought I would be, he said.SPOT STARTNelson was sent to the bullpen in early September but was starting for Matt Garza, who was shut down due to shoulder tightness.The command is kind of all over the place, Roenicke said. Made some great pitches and then all of a sudden, its high and down the middle.TRAINERS ROOMBrewers: Garza was scratched due to stiffness in his right shoulder. The team said he would have started if the game had any bearing on the teams playoff situation. Garza went 8-8 with a 3.64 ERA in 27 starts in the first year of his four-year, $50 million contract.UP NEXTCubs: Tsuyoshi Wada will start for the Cubs in Game 2 of the series. The team scratched Kyle Hendricks for Sundays final game of the season and said Jacob Turner would start instead. Hendricks has pitched 182 innings between the Cubs and the minor leagues this year and the team said it had nothing to gain by having him pitch the season finale.Brewers: Wily Peralta, Saturdays scheduled starter, is 16-11 overall, but 0-3 vs. the Cubs this year. Owner Mark Attanasio and general manager Doug Melvin will discuss the clubs September collapse before Saturdays game. Brendan Perlini Jersey . -- Shanshan Feng was alone in her opinion about the pin positions in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Custom Arizona Coyotes Jerseys . According to TSNs Farhan Lalji, Richardson is heading to Toronto for a physical and is expected to sign with the Argonauts. http://www.officialcoyotesfanstore.com/authentic-christian-dvorak-coyotes-jersey/ . The 30-year-old Texas native was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Duke spent six years in Pittsburgh and also had stints with Arizona, Washington and Cincinnati. Marian Hossa Jersey .Y. -- AJ Allmendingers journey is almost complete. Shane Doan Jersey . The question all fans want to know heading into this light heavyweight affair is will Rua display his true potential. Working with UFC welterweight fighter Demian Maias team in Sao Paulo Brazil and having training partners such as fellow UFC stand outs Fabio Maldonado and Daniel Sarafian, the 32-year old feels very well prepared for Friday nights encounter.SNOQUALMIE, Wash. -- Scott Dunlap won the Boeing Classic on Sunday when he made a short birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff against Mark Brooks. Dunlap set up his winning putt on the par-5 18th hole with an outstanding approach to the right of the pin that bounced past the hole, and then drew back downhill to within four feet. He missed his eagle try but made his next putt for his first Champions Tour victory. "I couldnt see anything (on his approach)," Dunlap said. "The cheers were letting me know." Dunlap, who has played multiple tours through his career with seven worldwide victories, did not win in his three stints -- covering seven seasons -- on the PGA Tour. His best finishes were three thirds. He won a couple times on the Web.com Tour, his last victory in 2008. "It means the wait was worth it," Dunlap said. Brooks, who put himself in jeopardy by landing in a bunker on his drive, just missed a 30-foot putt on his fourth shot. "That tee shot got me in a funny spot," Brooks said. It was the fifth playoff in the 10-year history of the tournament at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. Brooks made a dramatic closing run on the back nine to earn his spot in the playoff. He had five straight birdies and six over his final seven holes to finish with a 7-under 65. He had a 6-under 30 on the back nine, one off the course record. Brooks tied Dunlap at 16-under with an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 18. Dunlap, in the final group on the last hole, put his approach shot into the left bunker. His pitch out rolled seven feet past the hole but he missed his putt to the left and had to settle for the playoff. Brooks, the 1996 PGA champion, won seven times on the PGA Tour but has not had a victory in his four years on the CChampions Tour.dddddddddddd In his three previous appearances at Boeing, he had not finished better than tied for 57th. Gene Sauers finish third at 14-under 202. Tom Pernice Jr. was fourth at 13-under 203. Seven players were within a shot of the lead as they approached the turn when Dunlap eagled the par-5 eighth hole with a 45-foot putt over a ridge. That put him two shots ahead of the field at 13 under. "I felt good at that point and then I played good sensible, what I felt, winning golf," Dunlap said. "But not quite. Turns out I needed one more birdie." However, both Doug Garwood and Tommy Armour III birdied No. 8 to bring them back within one. Dunlap and Armour then broke away. Both birdied No. 10 and Dunlap followed with a birdie on No. 11 for a two-shot advantage over Armour. Armour had the misfortune of hitting the pin on his approach to the 12th green and the ball caromed back well off the green. He settled for a par but needed more. He bogeyed No. 13 and his pursuit was over. Dunlap, wedging his approach on No. 14 to within three feet, dropped in his birdie putt to extend it to 16-under and a three-stroke lead at the time. While others faded, Brooks slipped through the ranks. He birdied Nos. 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 to go 15-under, one behind Dunlap. He parred the par-3 17th before knocking in his birdie on No. 18. Fred Couples, the hometown favourite, shot one of the best rounds of the day at 6-under 66. He finished with an 8-under 208 for 15th place. Bernhard Langer, the overwhelming leader in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, also tied for 15th, finishing outside the top 10 for just the second time in 17 starts this season. His worst previous Boeing finish was tied for 11th twice. ' ' '