Game Recap: Turner clutch as Cubs walk off Marlins

Kamil Krzaczynski - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 8 hours ago

CHICAGO - Two games into this 21-game season-altering stretch, and the Chicago Cubs (25-18) are doing whatever it takes to win games. It may not always be pretty, and Tuesday night wasn't pretty against the Miami Marlins (15-26), but the Cubs know they have a massive opportunity in front of them to create separation in their division.

Needings to win as many games as possible while the schedule is lighter, the Cubs found themselves struggling to get much of anything done as Pete Crow-Armstrong accounted for both Cubs runs through eight innings and saw the Cubs trailing 4-2. Then came the ninth where the Cubs not only began to rally, but rallied in the blink of an eye as a Nico Hoerner RBI single pulled the Cubs within one only to have Justin Turner walk things off shortly after, and sent Wrigley Field into Jubilation 5-4.

This guarantees the Cubs another series win as they have won all but two home series this season. As nice of a win as this was for the Cubs, none of it would've been possible without the performance of Ben Brown. For the second consecutive time on the mound, Brown did what he needed to do, allowing a pair of runs in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out six as his sudden increase in command is yielding to better results.

With the wind blowing in to make things more of a pitcher's day, there were times when Brown was more aggressive than he typically would be, using the elements to his favor. Sometimes that aggressiveness does cost him, and it did in the second inning when Kyle Stowers touched them all for a long solo shot to make things 1-0.

It was a lead that didn't last long, with Pete Crow-Armstrong delivering the first of his two hits in the game with, leaving the yard to tie things up 1-1 in the third. With things now tied, it did seem as if the momentum was starting to shit a bit in the Cubs favor as they were starting to get after Marlins starter Valente Ballozo. Following a pair of one-out singles from Michael Busch and Carson Kelly, the Cubs were threatening as a walk loaded the bases for the newly promoted Moises Ballesteros.

Known for his impressive bat-to-ball skills, Ballesteros put the bat on the ball, but it resulted in an inning-ending double play to keep things right where they were. Those types of situations have come back to haunt the Cubs in the past, and with Connor Norby leading off the fifth with a triple before scoring, it was the Marlins back in front 2-1.

As was the case the last time the Marlins scored, Chicago didn't waste any time as their offense got right back to work in the bottom of the fifth, resulting in a sacrifice fly that tied things back up 2-2. Brown would then go back out to pitch the sixth, but after allowing a pair of singles to Jesus Sanchez and Augustin Ramirez, Brown was pulled from the game as Caleb Thielbar ended that inning.

By now, the success or failure of this game was going to fall into the hands of the bullpen, and once again it turned out to be a struggle at best. It didn't take long for the Marlins to retake the lead as Julian Merryweather served a lead-off shot to Norby to begin the innings that saw the Marlins back in front 3-2. Things only got worse for the Cubs from there with Derek Hill and Sanchez picking up hits, with the Sanchez hit leading to the Marlins' fourth run.

Miami had a chance to break things open later as Merryweather walked two more guys to load the bases as Ryan Pressly was forced to enter the game to keep things close. Still trailing by two late and with time winding down, it was up to Jesus Tinoco to keep things that way as Miami called on the veteran arm to close things out.

What started with an infield single from Kelly turned into a Swanson walk as the Cubs had two men on and no outs. The turning point of the inning came off the bat of Ballesteros as he hustled out of the batter's box to beat a would-be double play and helped put runners on the corners with one down.

That prompted Craig Counsell to make another change as he pulled Ballesteros from the game in favor of Vidal Brujan, who was specifically entering to be a pinch runner with the bottom of the lineup coming up. Bottom of the order or not, the Cubs have plenty of weapons on this team as Hoerner kept the line moving with an RBI single to pull the Cubs within 4-3.

Brujan managed to grab third on the same hit as the tying run was now 90 feet away. Despite his struggles for most of the season and several fans calling for his release, Turner is a veteran who, at some point, will figure it out.

Perhaps this is the game for that to happen remains to be seen, but Turner came through with the biggest hit of his Cubs career, delivering a ninth inning walk-off double to lift the Cubs to the 5-4 victory.