Brewers 7, Cubs 3
In a game that made postseason history in the first inning, the Milwaukee Brewers outlasted the Chicago Cubs 7-3 in Milwaukee. The first inning saw both teams hit 3-run home runs, a first in postseason history. The Brewers pulled away in the early innings, recording three home runs and scoring all of their runs with two outs.
Cubs – Brewers Game Summary
The Cubs took a 3-0 lead from a massive 440-foot home run to left-center from Seiya Suzuki. This came after Nico Hoerner singled and Kyle Tucker walked. But in the bottom of the first, the Brewers matched the Cubs, with Andrew Vaughn launching a three-run home run to left, following singles by William Contreras and Christian Yelich.
The Brewers extended their lead on a solo home run from William Contreras in the third, capping off a two-hit game from him. The final blow came in the fourth when Jackson Chourio, fighting a hamstring injury, powered a towering three-run home run to center, extending the Brewers lead to 7-3. From their, the Brewers bullpen held the Cubs to one hit, willing the Brewers to a commanding 2-0 lead in the NLDS.
What Went Right for the Brewers
Two-Out Hitting
The Brewers scored all seven of their Game Two runs with two outs. The outcome could’ve been very different had the Brewers not had clutch at-bats from Vaughn, Contreras, and Chourio. Their clutch gene was on full display tonight.
Stellar Bullpen
After Aaron Ashby was pulled after 1 2/3 innings, the Brewers relief unit stepped up to play. In the first postseason appearance of his career, rookie and All-Star Jacob Misiorowski pitched three innings of relief. He broke 100 mph on his fastball 31 times, recorded four strikeouts, and only allowed one hit. Brewers manager Pat Murphy spoke about his confidence level in Misiorowski in his postgame press conference, saying, “He stepped up… I’m enthralled that he wasn’t giving up free bases. Kept his composure, with runners, and that type of thing.” Chad Patrick, Jared Koenig, Trevor Megill, and Abner Uribe closed the game out, retiring the last 15 Cub batters.
Injury Management
Chourio injured his hamstring in Game One and his availability was up in the air until first pitch. Manager Pat Murphy made the right call in today’s game, ruling Chourio good to go. He delivered in huge fashion, belting a 419 foot home run to straightaway center, sending the Brewers faithful into a frenzy.
What Went Wrong for the Cubs
Starting Pitching
Shota Imanaga had allowed the most home runs since the All-Star Break coming into this game. This stat, unfortunately for Cubs fans, came into fruition early in this game. Imanaga gave up two home runs in his outing, also allowing five hits and four runs. The Cubs have had trouble with their starters so far this series.
No Offensive Firepower Late
After recording two hits in the first, one of course being Seiya Suzuki’s home run, the Cubs only recorded two more hits for the rest of the game. This went along with five baserunners throughout the course of the game. The Cubs had 11 strikeouts, including three in the top of the ninth.
Tough Spot for Palencia
Reliever Daniel Palencia came into the game when the Brewers momentum was at its peak. In front of a packed American Family Field, Palencia quickly allowed two runners aboard. One came through a hit by pitch, and the other off a Joey Ortiz single. Only needing one out to get out of a jam, Palencia left a four-seam fastball up in the zone to Chourio. This served as the spike in the heart for the Cubs.
Quick Hits
With this win, the Brewers take a commanding 2-0 series lead, where a Game Three win would secure their first NLCS berth since 2018.
For a team that was second-to-last in scoring via home runs, all seven of their runs came from long balls.
The two three-run homers for the Brewers in this game were the first two in their postseason history. Over a span of now 56 games, they have hit 51 homers, but until Monday, they were all either solo shots or two-run shots.
Chourio’s homer was his third career postseason homer, all with the Brewers. This ties him with Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Ted Simmons on the list of all-time postseason home runs by a Brewer. Only Orlando Arcia and Prince Fielder, both with four, have more.
The Cubs failed to score outside of the first inning. Manager Craig Counsell said, in his postgame press conference, “We had two at-bats with runners in scoring position today. That’s a pretty good sign that we’re not creating enough pressure. We had one hit after the second inning.” The Cubs will certainly have to ramp up their offensive production, especially later in the lineup, if they want to avoid a sweep.
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Looking Ahead
The Cubs will look to become only the 11th team in major league history to overcome an 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-five series. One of those teams was the Brewers, who did so in the 1982 ALCS against the then-California Angels. The Brewers seek their first Championship Series appearance in seven years. The two will meet again Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field. First pitch is set for 4:08 Central Time. Both teams will announce their starters at a later time.
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