E-gads! Brewers expose depleted Cubs’ holes and shortcomings in 3-2, walk-off win at Miller Park

Welcome to the first day of the rest of the Cubs’ life without Javy Baez this season.

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Russell after his costly error in Saturday’s ninth inning.

AP Photo/Aaron Gash

MILWAUKEE – The first save chance after the closer went back on the injured list Thursday blew up in the eighth inning Saturday.

And on the day the All-Star shortstop was diagnosed with a thumb fracture, the backup sailed a throw in the ninth that led to an unearned run and a walk-off loss to the Brewers at Miller Park.

Welcome to the first day of the rest of the Cubs’ life this season without Javy Baez. Welcome to the beginning of the end of their playoff hopes?

The 3-2 loss to the Brewers on Christian Yelich’s two-out, run-scoring double in the ninth sent the Cubs to their second consecutive loss and left just 1½ games of room between them and the fast-closing Diamondbacks in the race for the second wild-card berth.

“I think we still have a pretty good shot – I know that we have a really good shot,” said shortstop Addison Russell, whose third throwing error in as many games set the stage for reigning MVP Yelich to even see the plate in the ninth.

“Just tomorrow’s another day.”

It better be dramatically different than this one if they plan to reach a fifth consecutive postseason.

With closer Craig Kimbrel out at least a week, the Cubs used a mix-and-match sequence in the eighth and ninth against the Brewers’ best hitters to no avail. By the time Yelich faced Brandon Kintzler (1-for-9 against Kintzler in his career) in the ninth with two out and a man on first, an intentional walk seemed reasonable.

But Kintzler quickly got ahead 0-2 and Yelich didn’t see a pitch in the zone after that – hitting the game-winner on a sinker away.

Might not have mattered if the Cubs were better against mediocre starter Gio Gonzalez or had scored more than one against Josh Hader in the eighth after loading the bases with nobody out.

Or if Baez was in the lineup. Or if Russell made the throw in the ninth.

“In that situation you have to be on point, especially where we’re at in the season,” Russell said. “But it’s good to have that happen. I hate that it has to happen that way. But moving forward for September it just can be more motivation to get better and work on some things.”

Meanwhile, he said, he’s “absolutely” confident he can handle the everyday job at a high level down the stretch.

Even the one thing that went right for the Cubs on this night seemed short-lived – Yu Darvish making a successful return after being scratched from his last start because of forearm tightness.

He had no issues this time, pitching five scoreless innings, but was lifted at 72 pitches as part of the Cubs’ prescribed limit for his workload in his return.

Darvish, who said he has dealt with the recurring discomfort since July 3, allowed just three singles and a walk and striking out seven. His ERA since the All-Star break: 2.67.

Rotation gyration

Looking ahead at matchups the rest of the way, the Cubs flip-flopped starting pitchers for the next two games, moving up Jon Lester to Sunday and pushing Kyle Hendricks to Monday.

Among other things, it assures Hendricks faces the Cardinals in both remaining series against the division leaders. He’s 8-0 with a 2.14 in his last 12 starts against them.

Sticking to the Contreras plan

Despite a walk and six hits – four for extra bases – in his first two games back from a hamstring injury, catcher Willson Contreras was on the bench for both Friday’s and Saturday’s games against the Brewers.

Maddon said the medical staff was “adamant” about not playing Contreras Friday after all the activity, cautioning that the first few games back from an injury of that nature are the games of greatest risk for re-injury.

Maddon, who likes pairing Victor Caratini with Saturday’s starter, Darvish, said Contreras will be back Sunday.

“Of course, we always want to play,” Contreras said. “But you’ve got to follow the plan. You’ve got to understand there’s a lot of games to play.”

Fairy-tale beginning?

Left-hander Danny Hultzen, the No. 2 overall pick in a star-studded 2011 draft, finally on Saturday spent his first day as a major-league player, called up by the Cubs after a successful 14-appearance comeback bid with Class AAA Iowa.

Hultzen, originally drafted by Seattle, said he is throwing harder now than at any time in an injury-plagued career that has included multiple shoulder surgeries.

He had a 1.26 ERA and 0.91 WHIP for Iowa.

How the Cubs will use him out of the bullpen will be a work in progress, Maddon suggested.

“It’s pretty impressive what he’s gone through to be here today,” Maddon said. “I hear he’s throwing the ball very well. Could be a great find for us.”

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