Chicago, IL (Best E Casino) - Derrek Lee's RBI single with two outs in the 12th inning capped a stunning comeback, as the Chicago Cubs edged the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in the rubber-match of a three-game set at Wrigley Field.

The Brewers led 6-2 with two outs and the bases empty in the ninth, but still suffered a stomach punch of a loss as their September swoon continued. Milwaukee has lost 13 of 17 games in September, and seen a 5 1/2-game lead in the NL wild card turn into a half-game deficit entering play Thursday.

The wild-card leading New York Mets play at the Washington Nationals on Thursday evening.

The Cubs, meanwhile, clipped their magic number to two as their lead in the NL Central moved back to nine games.

Geovany Soto's three-run homer in the ninth tied the game for the Cubs, who have won six of seven. Kerry Wood (5-4) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Cubs starter Rich Harden allowed only one run on one hit in five frames, with seven strikeouts and six walks.

Carlos Villanueva (4-7) took the loss while Salomon Torres gave up the four- run lead in the ninth. Ray Durham went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored for Milwaukee, which heads to Cincinnati to try and revive its playoff hopes against the Reds. Brewers starter Dave Bush gave up two runs on two hits in five innings.

With the Brewers leading 6-2 with two outs in the ninth, a Ryan Braun mistake kept the game alive and eventually allowed the Cubs to tie the game. After Ryan Theriot lined out and Lee flied out, Aramis Ramirez sent a liner to left field that Braun misread and misplayed, allowing the ball to bounce between his legs and go to the wall.

Ramirez was credited with a double, and Jim Edmonds singled him in to cut the deficit to 6-3. Mark DeRosa singled to right, bringing the tying run to the plate in Soto. Torres hung a fastball right over the heart of the plate, and Soto ripped it into the seats in left for a game-tying three-run homer, capping the amazing two-out rally.

"I was just trying to get a pitch to hit and he (Torres) left a fastball up," said Soto. "I thought he was going to throw a sinker down and in, or at least down and away, and make me hit a ground ball. He left it up."

Milwaukee put runners on second and third with no outs against Wood in the 12th on a J.J. Hardy single and a Corey Hart double, but Wood rebounded to get a ground out from Craig Counsell that couldn't score Hardy from third. Jason Kendall then grounded to third, and Hardy was caught in a rundown and thrown out, and pinch-hitter Joe Dillon grounded out to end the frame.

Pinch-Hitter Daryle Ward walked to lead off the home half of the frame, and Reed Johnson bunted pinch-runner Jason Marquis over to second. Alfonso Soriano was intentionally walked, and Marquis moved up on Ryan Theriot's fly out to right. Lee then lined a single into center, plating Marquis with the game- winner in another crushing loss for the Brewers.

"I thought 'What a day,'" said Lee. "Just feels good to win this game. It's a big game."

The Brewers plated one run in the first on a fielder's choice grounder by Prince Fielder, but left the bases loaded.

Edmonds' 19th homer of the season -- 18th as a Cub -- tied the game at 1-1 in the second. Ramirez's 26th homer, a solo shot to left, put the Cubs on top 2-1 in the fourth.

The Brewers again came up empty-handed with the bases loaded against Harden in the fifth when Hardy flied out to right to end the inning.

A DeRosa error set the stage for Milwaukee's four-run sixth. Mike Cameron, Durham, and Braun each had RBI singles in the frame, and Hardy was walked with the bases loaded for a 5-2 Brewers lead.

Milwaukee had a chance to take a commanding lead in the ninth, but two running gaffes gave the Cubs a chance, and they took advantage of it. Fielder led off with a double to left, Hardy singled, and Hart doubled into the gap in left-center.

Fielder scored easily, but with no outs, Hardy was curiously sent home, and easily gunned down for the first out of the inning. Then Hart bolted for third when a Michael Wuertz pitch bounced away from Soto, but the Cubs catcher threw him out, emptying the bases. Counsell popped out to end the inning with Milwaukee ahead 6-2.

Game Notes

Edmonds has three homers this season against Bush...The Brewers have not scratched pitcher Ben Sheets from his next scheduled start, but his status for the rest of the season is uncertain after he left Wednesday's start with an aching right elbow. A Thursday story on MLB.com revealed that Sheets has been receiving treatment for pain in his right elbow since an August 24 start against St. Louis....Bush entered the game 1-7 with a 5.16 ERA in 10 career starts against the Cubs, including 0-2 with an 8.53 ERA in his first two starts against Chicago this season.