Christian Yelich and Joey Ortiz each hit two-run homers as the visiting Milwaukee Brewers evened their four-game series against the Chicago Cubs with a 9-4 win on Tuesday.
Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, William Contreras and Ortiz each had two hits for Milwaukee (86-53), which bounced back from a 17-3 loss in the series opener on Monday.
The Brewers outhit Chicago 13-6 and moved eight games ahead of the second-place Cubs (78-61) in the National League Central.
Trailing 3-0 after four innings, the Brewers scored nine runs over the next four frames to snap a two-game losing skid. Antonio Senzatela (10-4), one of five Milwaukee relievers, earned the victory.
Chicago broke a scoreless tie with three runs against Robert Gasser in the fourth inning. Seiya Suzuki drew a leadoff walk, Alex Bregman hit an infield single, and Tyrone Taylor followed with a two-run double against his former team.
Taylor then scored when Gasser mishandled the toss from first baseman Andrew Vaughn on Nico Hoerner’s infield liner. Gasser gave up three runs (two earned) over 4 1/3 innings.
Milwaukee got on the board in the fifth against Matthew Boyd when Luis Lara and Ortiz each singled with two outs before Lara scored on Cooper Pratt’s single to left field.
The Brewers pulled ahead with four runs on four hits in the sixth. After Daniel Palencia (2-2) replaced Boyd with one out and runners at second and third, Turang scored on a balk.
Vaughn then tied the game with an RBI double, and Yelich put Milwaukee ahead 5-3 with a two-run homer to right-center field.
Boyd allowed three runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.
Chicago pushed a run across with two outs in the bottom of the sixth when Hoerner scored from third on Carson Kelly’s fielder’s choice. BJ Murray Jr., making his debut, followed with a single for his first major league hit before Matt Shaw grounded out.
Contreras doubled in a run with two outs in the seventh against Ryan Zeferjahn, who was replaced by Caleb Thielbar. After Jake Bauers walked, Sal Frelick delivered an RBI single to left. Bauers was thrown out at third on the play.
Ortiz extended the Brewers’ lead with a two-run homer against Tyler Ferguson with one out in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
