[September 02, 2014]CHICAGO -- There's no master plan
that's allowed Chicago Cubs rookie Jorge Soler such an early hot bat.
"The success is not as easy as it looks," the Cuban outfielder
said through a translator after going 2-for-4 with two doubles in
his Wrigley Field debut on Monday. "I'm just very conscious at the
plate and just trying to make the best out of it and just taking it
pitch-by-pitch."
Catcher Welington Castillo also went 2-for-4 with a homer and three
RBIs as the Cubs opened a three-game series with a 4-2 victory over
the slumping Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.
The loss was the sixth straight for the Brewers (73-64), who slipped
into second place in the National League Central after they held or
were tied for first since the season's opening week.
The Cubs (62-76) broke a two-game losing streak as left fielder
Chris Coghlan and shortstop Starlin Castro also had two hits.
Soler has four doubles and seven extra-base hits in his first five
major league games. His second-inning opposite-field double made him
only the third major league player since 1900 with extra-base hits
in each of his first five games and first National Leaguer since St.
Louis' Enos Slaughter in 1938.
He's batting .526 (10-for-19) with four doubles, three home runs and
seven RBIs.
"He's a big man and leverages himself in the box and he creates some
force," said Cubs manager Rick Renteria. "Pretty impressive."
Cubs starter Jacob Turner (5-8) pitched 6 1/3 innings for the win.
Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson (2-6) worked six full innings in the
loss. Right-hander Hector Rondon worked the ninth for his 23rd save.
Center fielder Gerardo Parra went 3-for-3 with a home run and an RBI
to pace the Brewers, who had just seven hits against four Cubs
pitchers.
"We didn't swing the bat that well, obviously, didn't get a lot of
hits. Couple guys -- KD (Khris Davis) was really good, Parra was
really good -- but we need to get it going," Milwaukee manager Ron
Roenicke said. "That order's got to produce some runs. It's still a
nice lineup. We start off well (in the first inning) with two hits
and then get a double play."
That first inning proved critical for the Cubs' Turner, who built on
that escape.
"Getting through that (first) was what really kind of catapulted me
through the rest of the game," said Turner, who allowed just three
hits the rest of the way.
Soler got a big hand as stepped in to bat in the second inning and
looped a one-out double into the right field.
He scored the Cubs' first run on Castillo's broken-bat single to
left. Castillo later made it 3-0 with a two-run homer to left with
two outs in the fourth The drive, which brought home Castro, was his
career-high 11th of the season.
The Brewers got one back in the seventh when left fielder Khris
Davis lined Turner's 89th pitch to left field for his 21st home run
of the year.
Turner departed after that in favor of newly called-up right-hander Blake
Parker. He was greeted by a first-pitch solo homer from Parra that cut
the Cubs lead to 3-2.
Turner worked 6 1/3 innings and allowed one earned run on five hits. He
walked one and struck out seven.
Nelson came out for the seventh but didn't throw a pitch. Roenicke
called on left-hander Zach Duke to face two batters, then brought in
right-handed reliever Jeremy Jeffress who got second baseman Javier Baez
to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Nelson went 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits while he
struck out four and walked one.
Third baseman Luis Valbuena restored a two-run lead at 4-2 in the eighth
with his 16th homer of the season on a 1-1 pitch from Jeffress.
NOTES: The Brewers activated RHP Jimmy Nelson and placed him on the
mound for Monday's series opener in one of several transactions to open
the month. RHP Matt Garza (left oblique strain) and LHP Wei-Chung Wang
(left shoulder tightness) were both reinstated from the 15-day disabled
list. ... Milwaukee also called up OF Logan Schafer and C Matt Pagnozzi
from Triple-A Nashville while INF Jeff Bianchi (sore right elbow) was
moved to the 60-day disabled list. ... The Brewers send RHP Yovani
Gallardo (8-7, 3.26 ERA) against Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta (7-5, 2.88 ERA)
in Tuesday night's second game. ... The Cubs recalled RHP Blake Parker
from Triple-A Iowa prior to Monday's game but other September call-ups
may wait until after Iowa completed its season on Monday. ... The Cubs
honored Chicago's Little League U.S. champions -- Jackie Robinson West
-- in pre- and in-game events while Cubs players wore JRW jerseys for
pre-game warmups. ... RF Jorge Soler was among 21 players to make a Cubs
debut this season. ... The Cubs finished August 16-14, their best August
performance since going 16-13 in 2011.
