The Milwaukee Brewers erased a three-run deficit at Wrigley Field, using home runs from Christian Yelich and Joey Ortiz to dismantle the Chicago Cubs bullpen.
After a severely disappointing series opener, the Milwaukee Brewers now know they only have to beat the Chicago Cubs two more times this season to take the series.
With five games left to be played, including three at American Family Field, there's a newfound confidence in this Brewers squad after they took care of business in game two, 9-4.
Other than one inning where Robert Gasser allowed three runs, it was a phenomenal game from the Brewers pitching staff, the same one that allowed 17 runs the night prior.
Remember, seven of those came from first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who was asked to pitch not one, but two innings.
Regardless, the Brewers erased a 3-0 fourth-inning deficit by scoring a run in the fifth, four in the sixth, and then adding two more in both the seventh and eighth innings.
Offensive masterclass from the Brewers
Milwaukee scored their nine runs on 13 hits in this one, headlined by home runs from Christian Yelich and Joey Ortiz.
Yelich's 394-foot home run put the Brewers ahead, 5-3, giving them their first lead of the game in a crucial spot.
The Brewers were able to pounce on Michael Boyd in the sixth inning, and then they made Craig Counsell pay by going after Daniel Palencia as well.
One of the biggest aspects of this game is the fact that the Brewers only left six runners on base. Things weren't looking good early when Jackson Chourio was caught stealing, but in the end, they went 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position, which is a number manager Pat Murphy would love to see on a nightly basis.
Yelich and Ortiz both had two RBIs each, but runs were also driven in by William Contreras, Andrew Vaughn, Sal Frelick, and Cooper Pratt.
Milwaukee's defense wasn't perfect; pitching staff was
Murphy's squad committed a pair of errors in this game, which is extremely uncharacteristic of the team that has the best record in all of baseball.
A three-player collision in left field nearly sidelined Pratt, but he fought through the pain and remained in the game.
Gasser would last 4.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on just three hits. From there, a freshly rested Brewers bullpen would take over.
JoJo Romero made his team debut, and he recorded a pair of outs in 11 pitches despite giving up two hits.
Abner Uribe followed him in the seventh inning, striking out a pair in his flawless inning of work.
Aaron Ashby was loose and ready, so he delivered a quality eighth inning, but Murphy knew there was no need to have Trevor Megill pitch with a five-run lead. DL Hall officially slammed the door shut, needing just 11 pitches to give the Brewers their first three-plus-run comeback at Wrigley Field since April 10, 2022.
