Brewers: Another rough outing for Wily Peralta in loss to Cubs
By Phil Watson
The surging Chicago Cubs kept the heat on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League wild-card race, remaining two games back with a 9-5 victory at Wrigley Field Monday night over the Milwaukee Brewers.
For the Brewers, who have lost nine of their last 10 to fall into last place in the National League Central, Monday marked another rough start for right-hander Wily Peralta (5-10), who was roughed up for six runs on eight hits and four walks with two strikeouts, as he failed to survive the fifth inning.
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Peralta was staked to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, but walked three batters in the second as the Cubs (88-62) scored three runs to take the lead.
The Brewers (63-87) came back to tie the game with two runs in the fifth, but Chicago got two in the bottom of the frame to take a 6-4 lead it never relinquished.
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Right-hander Jason Hammel (9-6) got through five innings, allowing four runs—three earned—on five hits with a walk and six strikeouts.
Scooter Gennett and Logan Schafer opened the game with back-to-back singles and with one out, Hammel threw wildly on a pickoff attempt that allowed Gennett to score and moved Schafer to third.
With two outs, Domingo Santana picked up Schafer with an RBI single up the middle to make it 2-0.
Starlin Castro had an RBI double in the second for the Cubs and Dexter Fowler was awarded a two-run double after initially being called out at second base on Schafer’s throw.
Addison Russell worked a bases-loaded walk that put the Cubs up 4-2 in the third.
In the top of the fifth, Schafer walked with one out before Adam Lind lofted a fly ball into the left-field bleachers for his 20th homer of the season, tying the game at 4-4.
That gave Lind the team lead with 86 RBI this season, two more than Ryan Braun, who sat out his third straight game with a stiff back.
In the bottom of the fifth, Kris Bryant singled and Anthony Rizzo doubled before Castro drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly and Miguel Montero plated a run with a single to right.
The Cubs broke it open in the seventh with pinch-hitter Jorge Soler clubbed a three-run homer off left-hander Cesar Jimenez.
Khris Davis closed the scoring with his 23rd homer of the year off right-hander Tommy Hunter in the eighth.
Gennett was 2-for-5 for the Brewers, who had eight hits.
Tyler Thornburg worked 1.1 scoreless innings in relief of Peralta before Jimenez came on and struggled in the seventh. David Goforth worked around a hit and two walks, striking out one to get out of the eighth unscathed.
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On Tuesday at 7:05 p.m., right-hander Tyler Cravy (0-7, 6.42 ERA) will make his first start since Aug. 18 in place of Jimmy Nelson, who has been shut down for the year after being drilled in the head by a line drive on Thursday.
The Cubs counter with right-hander Jake Arrieta (19-6, 1.96), who will be seeking to become a 20-game winner for the first time in his career.
Cravy lost his only other appearance against Chicago, allowing four runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts in 4.1 innings of a 9-2 loss at Wrigley Field on Aug. 13.
Arrieta is 2-3 in seven career starts against Milwaukee, with a 3.19 ERA and 1.039 WHIP in 42.1 innings, striking out 31. He is 0-1 in two starts this season, allowing six runs on 12 hits in 11 innings with 12 strikeouts.
He took a no-decision on Wednesday in a 3-2 win at Pittsburgh, allowing two runs—one earned—on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts in eight innings.
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