MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The end of the Chicago Cubs' longest winning streak in 65 years didn't come easy.

Rookie Ben Sheets allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings and Milwaukee survived Sammy Sosa's near game-tying home run in the ninth as the Brewers snapped the Cubs' 12-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory Sunday.

"I thought it was a home run, to be honest with you," Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes said of Sosa's drive to the right-field wall. "I should have known when Sammy didn't go into that trot."

Sosa's dramatic at-bat against Curtis Leskanic included one foul tip on a 3-2 count, as a sellout crowd of 42,385 split evenly between Milwaukee and Chicago fans roared with every pitch.

"It was a great battle between Leskanic and Sammy," Chicago first baseman Matt Stairs said. "I had a grin on my face every pitch of that at-bat."

Sheets (6-4), who pitched a shutout against St. Louis in his previous start, gave up five hits, including Stairs' solo homer in the sixth inning.

"He's the real deal; we've all been saying that," Milwaukee's Jeromy Burnitz said of the U.S. Olympic hero. "When he gets in trouble, watch him, the guy bears down and gets the job done."

Burnitz went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI doubles for the Brewers, who ended the Cubs' longest winning streak since a 15-gamer in June 1936.

"We came up a foot short, but that's baseball," Cubs manager Don Baylor said. "We have to stop this streak at one."

Milwaukee scored three runs in the third off Julian Tavarez (3-4). Jeffrey Hammonds led off the inning with an infield single and stole second. After a walk by Mark Loretta, Geoff Jenkins hit an RBI single.

Burnitz added an RBI double and Jose Hernandez hit a run-scoring single.

Sheets allowed baserunners in five of the six innings he worked, but was only seriously threatened in the sixth inning.

After Stairs homered with one out, the Cubs loaded the bases with two outs on walks by Ron Coomer and Todd Hundley and an infield single by Gary Matthews Jr.

Chad Fox came in and got pinch-hitter Todd Dunwoody to pop out to shortstop.

"I started maybe trying to throw strikes instead of making good pitches," Sheets said.

Leskanic allowed one run in the ninth inning before getting his sixth save.

Tavarez allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings.

Game notes
Loretta's single in the first extended his hitting streak to 12 games, matching his career high. ... Sunday's crowd of 42,385 was the third sellout of the three-game series with Chicago. The single-game attendance record at new Miller Park was set Saturday, with 43,400. ... Tavarez struck out eight batters in five innings, six on called third strikes. He struck out the side looking in the fourth.

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