Rizzo, Heyward lead way as Cubs defeat Brewers

[August 16, 2018]  Albert Almora Jr. also homered for Chicago, which increased its lead over the Brewers to three games in the National League Central with the victory. David Bote, the hero of Sunday night's 4-3 victory over Washington with his two-out pinch-hit grand slam walk-off home run, had two hits and scored two runs while Javier Baez tripled and had two hits and also scored a run.

Kyle Hendricks (9-9) allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings to pick up the win. He matched a season high with eight strikeouts.

Junior Guerra (6-8) took the loss for Milwaukee, and allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings, ending a streak of three consecutive shutout victories by the Brewers over Chicago. Mike Moustakas had three hits and an RBI to lead Milwaukee's nine-hit attack.

Rizzo, moved to the cleanup spot in the batting order for the first time since July 11 after batting leadoff to try and add some spark to a Cubs lineup that had scored just 11 runs in its previous five games, hit his 18th homer of the season to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The blast was a 368-foot opposite-field drive into the basket in left field.

Baez hit his eighth triple of the season in the third and then scored on a double by Heyward. Bote, who reached base on a fielder's choice when shortstop Jonathan Schoop nailed Heyward trying to advance to third, made it 4-0 later in the inning when he scored on a wild pitch.

Milwaukee cut the lead to 4-2 in the fourth on an RBI double by Schoop to drive in Travis Shaw, who also doubled. Schoop then scored on a ground single by Eric Thames.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (44) hits a two-run home run during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

The Cubs came right back for three runs in the bottom half of the inning with RBI singles by Addison Russell, Heyward and Rizzo to make it 7-2. After Milwaukee closed to 7-4 in the seventh on RBI singles by Moustakas and Hernan Perez, Almora Jr. led off the bottom half with his fifth homer of the season and first since June 28 to left-center to put Chicago back up by four runs.

Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun left the game with the in the fifth inning with what the club announced as right ribcage tightness. Braun, who hit two home runs in Milwaukee's 7-0 win over the Cubs on Tuesday, apparently suffered the injury while attempting to make a sliding catch on Heyward's RBI double in the third inning.

--Field Level Media

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