CHICAGO (WFRV) – Brandon Woodruff tossed seven innings of one-hit ball, Lorenzo Cain hit two home runs and the Milwaukee Brewers clinched their first NL Central series of the season with a 4-2 win over Chicago in 10 innings.
Cain’s two homers provided all four runs to the Crew, with his solo shot in the eighth providing the first run of the game and a three-run, dead-center bomb in the 10th giving the Brewers a commanding 4-1 lead in extra innings.
Milwaukee once again got off to a slow roll against a starting pitcher, mustering just four hits in the first seven innings as Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks plowed through the Brewers lineup.
But the Crew’s ace on the hill was ready for a duel.
For the second time this season, Milwaukee took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, with Woodruff tossing 6.0 perfect frames and fanning eight batters to keep the Cubs off balance.
Chicago’s Ian Happ broke up the no-hit bid in the seventh, roping a single through the right side – against the shift – to become the second Cubs baserunner in the game. The only other threat before the eighth came from Jason Heyward, who reached on a throwing error by Daniel Robertson but was quickly erased by a double play in the next at bat.
Woodruff’s sterling performance set the stage for Cain to open the scoring in the eighth, sending a deep ball to the left field seats. Chicago proceeded to tie the game in the bottom half, getting a solo tally off the bat of Joc Pederson, hitting against Devin Williams.
With the game tied at 1 heading to the 10th, the Brewers’ offense delivered with the runner on second.
Daniel Vogelbach singled to push Robertson to third, and then Cain broke the game open with a big swing to dead center.
Brewers reliever J.P Feyereisen ran into trouble with two outs in the bottom of the 10th, allowing a run-scoring single by Heyward and walking the bases loaded with Willson Contreras and Jake Marisnick.
With the winning run on first, Brad Boxberger replaced Feyereisen and forced a fly ball to shallow left field, which Christian Yelich snatched out of the air to end the game.
The Brewers are back in action Thursday to begin a road series at St. Louis.
