CHICAGO -- After hitting his first career grand slam, Junior Lake came up next time with runners on first and second with nobody out. But instead of swinging for the fences, the 23-year-old rookie dropped down a bunt for a base hit that eventually led to two runs. That extra offence proved vital in the Cubs 8-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. "Youve either savvy or youre not a very selfish player because its hard to go up there after hitting a grand slam and not think about having two homers and seven ribbies in your pocket," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "But that led to bases loaded and nobody out and we ended up getting two out of it. Its nice to see a guy thinking about other things other than his own stats." Lake, who went 2 for 4 and has hit five homers since being called up on July 19, said that was what he was thinking. "Im just doing whats best for the team," he said through an interpreter. "I can get the bunt down and beat it out for a base hit to load the bases, or if Im out, its like a sacrifice. "I have confidence in my teammates." The Cubs jumped on Brewers starter Kyle Lohse (9-9) in the first inning. Nate Schierholtz singled with one out and runners on first and second to drive in the first run. Two batters later, Lake homered on a 1-0 slider to complete the five-run inning. "He missed location a lot. And when he missed location, they didnt miss the pitch," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said of Lohse. "He didnt make too many quality pitches there the first inning." The Brewers scored in the second and third innings to make it 5-2. Cubs starter Chris Rusin made it 7-2 with a two-run single in the bottom of the third after Lake had his bunt single. Rusin had more success at the plate than on the mound. After getting the first two outs in the fourth, he gave up consecutive hits to Norichika Aoki and Jean Segura, and was pulled from the game. With right-handed power hitter Jonathan Lucroy due up, Sveum replaced the left-handed Rusin with right-hander Carlos Villanueva (5-8) and he got the final out in the inning and earned the victory. "I was wild today, just a little wild and I had a tough time trying to find a rhythm," Rusin said. "But the bullpen did a good job. They came in and closed the door." Said Sveum: "He got his pitch count up and I think he would tell you he didnt have his best stuff or command today. But it was huge coming up with that hit, thats for sure." Especially after Milwaukees Scooter Gennett hit a pinch-hit three-run homer off Pedro Strop to make it 7-5 in the eighth. The Cubs added a run in the inning when Donnie Murphy led off with a single and scored on shortstop Seguras throwing error. Kevin Gregg got the final three outs for his 30th save in 35 chances. "Its kind of always one of those benchmarks for a closer," Gregg said of 30 saves. "From the way my year started, its pretty exciting to get to. "Being released out of spring training and not having a job for the first two weeks of the season, it was a pleasant surprise, I guess." NOTES: The Cubs activated recently acquired RHP Daniel Bard before the game, but whether he pitches in a game this season remains to be seen. Before he throws in a game, the Cubs at least want to see him throw on the side a couple of times. After battling an abdominal strain this season, Bard said hes healthy and hopes to correct the problems with mechanics he believes robbed him of his high-90s fastball while with the Boston Red Sox. ... Khris Davis was in the Brewers lineup playing left field and batting sixth, but was scratched because of soreness in his left wrist. He is listed day to day. ... The Cubs announced that RHP Scott Baker will start the series finale Sunday. It will be his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. ... The Cubs Jake Arrieta (2-1) will face Johnny Hellweg (0-3) on Saturday. Cheap Air Jordan 1 For Sale . -- During a players meeting following the All-Star break, Jermaine ONeal promised his teammates to play the rest of the regular season like he would never play again -- because he very well might not. Discount Air Jordan 1 .Tzavelas opened the scoring in the 11th and Pereyra added another in the 51st. Emmanuel Kone pulled one back in the 80th and Levadiakos missed several chances to level in the last 10 minutes. http://www.airjordan1cheap.com/. The team made the announcement after Saturdays 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. RHP Kenny Giles will be called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Adams spot on the roster. Cheap Retro Air Jordan 1 . Seth Smith hit a towering drive for a tying homer leading off the eighth and Chris Denorfia singled home two runs to give the Padres a 3-1 victory against the rival Dodgers in baseballs North American opener Sunday night. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Shoes . The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday.FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS: 1. EASTS THIRD SEED (RAPTORS OR BULLS?): With Sundays Raptors win at Detroit coupled with the Bulls loss in New York, suddenly the Toronto Raptors are back in a tie for third place and hold the tiebreaker for the spot with two games to go. The opportunity to play either Washington or Charlotte rather than the Brooklyn Nets is a real possibility right now and keeps the pressure on both teams to play out the regular season trying to win outright. It should be fun to watch how both of these squads approach the urgency of that. Players always say they dont care who they play as long as theyre in the playoffs, but coaches really care because theyre the ones doing extensive prep for these match-ups and know all of the ins and outs as they pertain to the good and bad matchups. Theres still lots to play for. 2. WESTERN CONFERENCE: In the East, only two teams (Indiana and Miami) will finish with 50 wins while weve got five teams with 50 wins already in the West and another three (Golden State, Dallas and Memphis) with a chance to get to 50 in the next few days. Pretty remarkable to see how strong this conference is. Consider the fact that the ninth place team in that conference (Phoenix) will come close to 50 and be playing golf in a few days if they dont get a few breaks here. Its been a terrific year and the playoffs in the West will be hotly-contested matchups. 3. MASON PLUMLEE (Nets): He wont win the Rookie of the Year award, but the more I watch him play the more I love his game. This guy plays hard all of the time, has nice bounce to his game and can score in the lane for you. Has a nose for the ball with greaat rebounding instincts.dddddddddddd With various injuries to the Nets this year hes been able to get on the floor and has taken advantage of the playing time and looks quite comfortable now. Hes earned coach Jason Kidds trust and has a valuable role off the bench for them. Good development for him and their team. 4. ANDREW NICHOLSON (Magic): His playing time and his numbers are down this season and the second year Canadian hasnt been able to get any sort of rhythm going at all. He is your classic tweener - a combo 3-4 who has good post and mid-range skills yet struggles (29 per cent) with his three-point shooting and his handle in the open court still needs improvement. Big off-season coming up for him as he needs to add a few tools to his tool kit to create a niche for himself as a pro. He had some solid moments as a rookie but theyve been few and far between as a sophomore. Hes a worker and plays all out all the time. I have no doubt that hell pay the price in the next six months and come back for Year 3 as a better player. 5. MO WILLIAMS (Blazers): Even though his career numbers are off this season, his role is smaller for him in Portland yet hes been a terrific addition to their team. Still a solid playmaker (4-plus assists per game) and can score (10 ppg) and shoot the three (37 percent) while providing veteran leadership and savvy to the backcourt. His knack for making the high percentage play and knowing/accepting his role in their scheme has helped coach Terry Stotts bring this team along and enjoy a fun season. Sometimes guys just fit and other times they dont - hes been an ideal fit for them. ' ' '