Eric Lauer struck out 11 over seven innings, and Christian Yelich and Hunter Renfroe each homered as the Milwaukee Brewers rolled to a fifth straight victory, 9-1 over the visiting Chicago Cubs on Saturday night.
Rowdy Tellez also went deep and had three RBIs as Milwaukee homered three more times after hitting six during Friday’s rout. Yelich and Renfroe each had three hits and two RBIs.
Renfroe, who homered twice Friday, went back-to-back with Yelich during a three-run eighth for the Brewers, who have pounded out 25 hits in the last two games and outscored their opponents 38-13 over the last five.
After striking out a career-high 13 at Philadelphia last Sunday, Lauer (2-0) was stellar once again for Milwaukee, a winner in 11 of its last 13 games. The left-hander allowed Yan Gomes’ homer in the second and four other hits while recording double-digit strikeouts in consecutive starts for the first time during his five-year career.
Meanwhile, Chicago has dropped nine of 11 following a 6-4 start and been held to a run each of its last three games, all losses.
The Cubs’ Willson Contreras and Patrick Wisdom each had two hits, and starter Justin Steele (1-3) allowed three of his four runs in the first inning, but just two were earned. Steele allowed seven hits in 3 1/3 innings.
After Lauer struck out the side in the first, a throwing error from Wisdom and an outfield bobble by center-fielder Michael Hermosillo on Yelich’s single put Milwaukee runners on second and third in the bottom half of the frame.
Back-to-back RBI hits from Renfroe and Keston Hiura gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead. Then after the Brewers won a replay challenge on Lorenzo Cain’s initial double-play ball, Tellez followed with a run-scoring single.
Mike Brosseau’s two-out RBI single in the third gave Milwaukee a 4-1 advantage.
Tellez belted a two-run drive off the center-field hitting background in the fifth for the Brewers, who have won 21 of the last 29 home games against the Cubs.
The teams each struck out 15 times.
–Field Level Media