Keston Hiura tied the game with a solo home run in the seventh, then added some insurance with a late two-run drive into the left-center field bleachers as the visiting Milwaukee Brewers rallied for a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
Down 2-0, the Brewers took advantage when Chicago starter Justin Steele left the game after he allowed two hits and a walk and struck out nine over six scoreless innings.
Rowdy Tellez belted his team-leading 26th home run off Mark Leiter Jr. in the seventh, just after teammate Andrew McCutchen was thrown out trying to steal second. Hiura then followed with a two-out long ball against Brandon Hughes.
In the eighth, after Kolton Wong singled and eventually advanced to third on two Rowan Wick (3-6) wild pitches, Willy Adames put Milwaukee ahead for good with a sacrifice fly.
Hiura then clubbed his 12th home run of the season with a man on in the ninth, as the Brewers prevailed for just the seventh time in the last 19 contests after one-run losses in each of the first two games of this series.
The Brewers also snapped a four-game losing streak to the Cubs, who had won five in a row overall entering Sunday. Despite the defeat, Chicago has won five consecutive scheduled series.
Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff went 5 2/3 innings, allowing just Ian Happ’s 100th career homer in the first and Seiya Suzuki’s 10th blast of the season in the fourth, plus two other hits. He walked two and tossed five strikeouts.
After the Brewers’ bullpen faltered during Saturday’s 6-5, 11-inning loss, Brent Suter (5-3), Brad Boxberger and Taylor Rogers (29 saves) held Chicago batters to just one hit over the final 3 1/3 innings.
Suzuki also recorded a single and double for the Cubs, who played without slugger Patrick Wisdom after he injured his finger on a play at the plate during Saturday’s victory. X-rays were negative, according to the team.
–Field Level Media
