CHICAGO _ The Milwaukee Brewers spoiled what the Chicago Cubs hoped would be a clinching party.
With the Cubs' magic number down to one for clinching the National League Central crown, the Brewers delayed the celebration by holding on for a 5-4 victory Thursday night at Wrigley Field.
It was the Brewers' first victory in seven tries at Wrigley this season.
Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson has been trying to pull out of a long second-half slide and took a step in the right direction by limiting the Cubs to three runs over six innings. And one of those runs was tainted, to say the least.
The Cubs took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a home run by Jorge Soler that should have been a bases-empty blast. Addison Russell led off with a pop fly toward third base that should have been an easy out for Hernan Perez, but he backed off and let it fall, apparently thinking shortstop Orlando Arcia would field it.
Soler then blasted a 1-0 fastball from Nelson far out to left for his 12th home run of the season.
Chicago had a chance to pad that lead in the third when Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist drew one-out walks. But Russell grounded into the Brewers' infield shift, right to second baseman Jonathan Villar behind the bag, starting an inning-ending 4-3 double play.
The Brewers had little going against Cubs starter Mike Montgomery over the first three innings but that changed in the fourth. It began with a home run by Keon Broxton, who blasted a 3-2 pitch 419 feet to center for his ninth home run.
With two down, Perez reached base on a throwing error by Russell, normally a dependable shortstop. The Brewers took advantage of that mistake when Domingo Santana sent Perez to third with an opposite-field double to right, and both runners scored on Arcia's double into the left-field corner.
The Cubs came right back to tie it at 3, in the bottom of the inning when Nelson made a pitch he had to regret. With two down and a runner on third, Nelson allowed a single up the middle by Montgomery, who had been hitless in 11 career at-bats in the majors.
Montgomery departed after six innings and the Brewers went right to work against reliever Justin Grimm in the seventh, beginning with Santana's leadoff double to right-center. Arcia took a called third strike, but Martin Maldonado walked and Scooter Gennett, batting for Nelson, drove in both runners with an opposite-field double down the left-field line.
The Cubs had something cooking against reliever Carlos Torres in the seventh when Kris Bryant singled with one down and moved up on a groundout by Rizzo. Maldonado caught Bryant straying off second base, however, and picked him off to end the inning.
Things got very interesting in the bottom of the eighth as Chicago trimmed the lead to one run and had a chance for more damage. Torres walked Zobrist leading off, then struck out Russell and Soler.
Manager Craig Counsell opted to go to closer Tyler Thornburg for a four-out save but the Cubs didn't want to cooperate. Jason Heyward laced a double into the right-field corner, cutting the Brewers' lead to 5-4.
After a passed ball by Maldonado allowed Heyward to move to third, Thornburg walked No. 8 hitter Miguel Montero. Rookie catcher Willson Contreras was sent to pinch-hit with runners on the corners and took a 2-2 curveball on the inside corner for strike three, allowing the Brewers to stay on top.
