CHICAGO — Starter Jeff Suppan gave the Brewers one of his best starts of the season, but Milwaukee's offense went cold for the second time in three days and a controversial bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th inning by Dave DiFelice sealed a 2-1 loss Friday in Chicago, Milwaukee's third straight defeat.

Jake Fox fouled off four pitches before working the two-out walk on a close 3-2 pitch from DiFelice, who extended his arms and walked toward plate umpire Bill Welke as the Cubs celebrated and mobbed Fox.

“I shouldn’t have put us in that situation,” DiFelice said. “I started getting tired toward the end there, but it shouldn’t have been bases loaded, 3-2 count in the first place.”

Before Friday, DiFelice had walked only five batters all season in 31 1-3 innings.

“For a guy that prides himself on being a control pitcher, I think that is the toughest thing,” he said. “To lose a game with a walk-off walk, that definitely hurts more.”

Ryan Theriot singled off second baseman Craig Counsell’s glove with one out in the 10th and went to second on a wild pitch from DiFelice (4-1). After Theriot moved up on a fly ball, the Brewers intentionally walked Milton Bradley. With a 3-0 count on pinch-hitter Geovany Soto, DiFelice also walked him intentionally to load the bases, bringing Fox to the plate.

“I just went back into the video room to check it out. ... It was a little up and a little bit in. I thought the umpire made a good call there," Fox said. "But it was a close one.”

The Brewers threatened in the ninth when Cubs right fielder Bradley lost Jason Kendall’s high fly in the sun — the ball hit him on the right arm — and fell for a double. Kevin Gregg (3-2) hit Counsell with a pitch, but Ryan Braun popped out to end the inning.

Milwaukee took a 1-0 lead when Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano walked Corey Hart with the bases loaded in the fourth. The Cubs tied it in the fifth on Zambrano’s RBI single off Suppan.

Cubs center fielder Kosuke Fukudome made a great throw to cut down Suppan at the plate in the seventh and keep the game tied.

Suppan opened with a single before third baseman Fox fumbled Kendall’s bunt for an error, putting runners at first and second. With two outs, Prince Fielder hit a sharp single to center and Fukudome made a one-hop throw to Koyie Hill, who tagged Suppan to end the inning.

“I wish I was a little bit faster to be honest with you. It was just one of those things where I was never really gifted with speed and I just try to get there,” said Suppan, who yielded four hits and a run in seven innings — his longest outing of the season.

Zambrano, who hasn’t won in five starts since June 5, gave up five hits and a run in seven innings.

The Brewers loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth after Counsell and Braun singled and Zambrano hit Fielder on the shoulder with a high inside pitch, but Milwaukee managed only one run when Zambrano walked Hart.

When Suppan drilled Derrek Lee on the left hip in the bottom of the inning, Welke warned both benches. Lee had seven RBIS and two homers Thursday night in the opener.

Bradley grounded a single to left to put runners at first and third, but J.J. Hardy fielded Fukudome’s hard grounder up the middle and started an inning-ending double play.

After Fox was hit with a pitch in the fifth, Mike Fontenot followed with a double over Braun’s outstretched glove in left to put runners at second and third. Zambrano, a switch-hitter batting right-handed against the right-handed Suppan, then dumped a one-out single into center to tie the game.