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 The Brewers won their second straight on Sunday, a 5-3 victory over
the Chicago Cubs for their first winning streak of the year.
Aramis Ramirez went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and snapped a 3-3 tie
with a two-run eighth-inning single.
Milwaukee, which took two-of-three from Chicago in the weekend
series, won its first series in eight this season snapped a streak
of 11 straight series losses dating to the end of the 2014 season.
"A lot of great things happened in the game," said Brewers manager
Ron Roenicke, whose team is now 7-18. "The bad thing would be giving
them two runs and letting them back in the game. Beside that,
everything was really nice."
Ramirez, the Brewers third baseman, clubbed a second-inning home run
as he reached base three times, including a walk.
Neither starter -- Milwaukee right-hander Jimmy Nelson or Cubs
righty Jason Hammel -- figured in decisions.
Instead, Brewers left-handed reliever Will Smith (1-0) worked
one-third inning in the seventh for the win while right-handed
reliever Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for fourth save.
"Jimmy (did a) real nice job on the mound, and Smitty coming in to
get the one out and (in the seventh) and the rest of the bullpen,
great job," Roenicke said.
Cubs right-hander Pedro Strop (0-1) took the loss after allowing two
runs on three hits in a one-inning relief outing.
The Brewers jumped to a 1-0 lead in the second on Ramirez's third
home run of the season. The first-pitch shot off Hammel was
deposited in the left field bleachers.
The Cubs matched the run in the bottom of the inning when Hammel's
sacrifice fly drove in catcher Miguel Montero.
Milwaukee added a run in the second when Nelson doubled to center
and came home on center fielder Carlos Gomez's single to right. Left
fielder Khris Davis' sacrifice to center drove in first baseman Adam
Lind in the fourth for a 3-1 Brewers lead.
The Cubs scored twice in the fifth. Center fielder Dexter Fowler
reached on a bunt and scored on first baseman Anthony Rizzo's
two-out triple off the center field wall.
Rizzo tied the game at 3 when he came home on third baseman Kris
Bryant's double.
Hammel departed with none out in the seventh after walking Ramirez.
He officially worked six innings, allowing three runs on five hits.
He walked one and struck out four.
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Nelson left in the seventh after allowing a two-out single to Cubs
right fielder Jorge Soler. He threw 104 pitches in 6 2/3 innings,
allowed three runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out
six.
Right before the game-winning single, Brewers shortstop Jean Segura
fell to the ground and later left the game after being hit in the
helmet by a Strop pitch in the eighth inning.
"(Brewers catcher Carlos) Gomez and (outfielder Gerardo) Parra told
me, 'He's all right, he's all right, he's all right.' That kind of
helped a little bit. I think I got time to get back on what I needed
to do," a relieved Strop said.
Strop then intentionally walked the hotter-hitting Lind to get to
Ramirez, who was batting .214 entering Sunday.
"It's a much better match-up," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "It's
just one of those things that's under the category of, 'It's the
right thing to do, it just didn't work.' That doesn't mean it was
wrong. It didn't work out at that time."
NOTES: RHP Kyle Lohse (1-4, 7.28 ERA) makes his 400th career start
as the Brewers begin a four-game series at the Los Angeles Dodgers
on Monday. ... Milwaukee has now used 24 different lineups through
its first 25 games, including a new lineup in each of the last 22
games. ... 3B Aramis Ramirez second inning homer was the 368th
all-time at third base, tying him for No. 5 all-time with Graig
Nettles for most home runs hit strictly as a third baseman. ... The
Cubs picked up RHP Anthony Varvaro off waivers from Boston prior to
Sunday's game. He was 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA in nine relief appearances
this year before an April 29 release. ... The Cups designated LHP
Joseph Ortiz for assignment on Sunday. He was 0-1 with a save and
3.38 ERA at Triple-A Iowa. ... The Cubs send LHP Travis Wood (2-1,
3.04 ERA) against St. Louis in the opener of a four-game series in
St. Louis. ... With Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo's fifth inning
triple he has now reached base in 12 straight games. Rizzo came into
Sunday leading the majors with a .480 on-base percentage.
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