Cubs News: Miguel Montero plays hero with walk-off homer

A day after winning the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs capped off the achievement with a walk-off home run.

by Colin Halm - Correspondent - Fri Sep 16 18:23:02 GMT-04:00 2016

CHICAGO -- Despite the wind blowing out at scenic Wrigley Field, Lackey and the Cubs’ defense managed to limit the damage by the Brewers which allowed them to battle back in the 9th inning. After Addison “Hustle” Russell beat out an infield single with the bases loaded to tie it at four, Miguel Montero put the Cubs ahead for good with an opposite field solo homer to left in the 10th inning.

Joe Maddon elected to rest almost all of the usual starters after clinching the NL Central the previous night. The “All Bench” lineup consisted of Munenori Kawasaki, Matt Sczcur, Tommy La Stella, Jorge Soler, Albert Almora, and Chris Coghlan (at first base) all receiving starts. Almora belted a two-run homer to tie the game up in the fourth inning and Coghlan did his part going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.

Coghlan, meanwhile, has seen a resurgence since rejoining the Cubs, after being traded right before spring training to the Oakland Athletics. In Oakland he batted just .146 with five homers, but since returning to Chicago has batted .214, a raise of almost 70 points. He has been especially good with runners in scoring position, owning a .333 batting average since June 9.

Lackey ran into trouble early after serving up home runs to Orlando Arcia and Ryan Braun. Lackey certainly tried to attack the strike zone, getting 17 first-pitch strikes on 30 batters. While he didn’t earn his tenth win, Lackey turned in a strong outing nonetheless. He will start two more times on the mound for the Cubs this year to, hopefully, continue his streak of consecutive years with double-digit wins.

The Cubs celebrated their clinching of the NL Central division after the game, spraying champagne in the renovated clubhouse and having a ball.

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein made an appearance in the bleachers as well. Epstein’s disguise took on a funny, but recognizable look, sporting an Ernie Banks baseball hat and Groucho Marx-esque fake mustache.

Jake Arrieta will take the mound tomorrow against the Brewers’ youngster Zach Davies at 4:05 EDT.