BC-BBN–Cubs-Brewers,0495

Cubs 9, Brewers 6

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Greg Maddux overcame a shaky start to earn his 301st win, and Sammy Sosa hit one of Chicago’s three home runs to help the Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-6 Thursday.

Maddux (12-8) allowed four runs in the first inning, but settled down to push the Cubs within a half-game of idle San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.

Maddux won for the fifth time in his six decisions. He retired 13 of his final 14 batters, and left after seven innings with an 8-5 lead.

Sosa hit his 27th homer of the season and the 566th overall, moving within seven of Harmon Killebrew on the career list. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez also homered for the Cubs, who dealt Milwaukee its sixth loss in eight games.

LaTroy Hawkins pitched a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 23 chances.

Ramirez bailed Maddux out in the fifth when he broke a 5-all tie with a three-run homer off Chris Capuano. Nomar Garciaparra led off with a single and Moises Alou followed with a walk before Lee connected for his 24th homer.

Capuano (6-7) allowed a career-high eight runs, giving up eight hits and four walks in 4 1-3 innings, while striking out seven.

Lee’s single in the first drove in Tom Goodwin to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

Then, the Brewers quickly came back against Maddux.

Scott Podsednik led off with a one-hop grounder off Maddux’s right knee. The 13-time Gold Glove winner gathered the ball, but his throw pulled Lee off the bag for his first error since April 9, 2003.

After Podsednik stole second, Bill Hall singled him home to tie it at 1. Lyle Overbay followed with a single and one out later, Geoff Jenkins hit his 19th homer to give the Brewers a 4-1 lead.

It didn’t last long, however. Lee hit a three-run homer in the second, his 26th.

Chicago took a brief 5-4 lead in the third on Sosa’s homer, but Milwaukee it on Russell Branyan’s RBI double in the bottom half.

Milwaukee pulled within 8-6 in the eighth when Hall scored on Branyan’s sacrifice fly. But Branyan gave the run back in the ninth when his error on Lee’s grounder to third base allowed Goodwin to score.

Notes: Maddux allowed five runs for the first time since a 9-4 loss against the Chicago White Sox on June 27. He also improved to 10-2 against Milwaukee in his career, including a 3-0 mark this year. … Sosa hit in the No. 5 spot in the lineup and went 2-for-4 with a walk after going 0-for-5 in the fifth spot on Wednesday. … Brewers manager Ned Yost celebrated his 50th birthday on Thursday and Capuano turned 26. … Capuano was a late scratch in his last start because of tenderness in his left elbow. … Podsednik’s stolen base in the first inning gave him 46 this season. He ranks second among Brewers’ all-time single-season leaders, trailing only Pat Listach, who had 54 in 1992. … Chicago went 5-5 at Miller Park this season after going 7-0 last year.

AP-ES-08-19-04 1734EDT