Brewers top Chicago Cubs, win National League Central title
Buehler helps Dodgers win NL West by beating Rockies
CHICAGO: Orlando Arcia led off the eighth inning with the third of his four hits and trotted home on Lorenzo Cain’s go-ahead single two batters later, delivering the Milwaukee Brewers the National League Central title with a 3-1 tiebreaker victory over the host Chicago Cubs on Monday afternoon.
NL batting champion Christian Yelich had three hits, and five Milwaukee pitchers combined to three-hit the Cubs, assuring the Brewers (96-67) the best record in the NL and home-field advantage at least through the NL Championship Series.
“It’s special,” Cain said after Milwaukee’s eighth consecutive win. “I get to see it every day.”
The Brewers will open the five-game NL Division Series at home tomorrow against the winner of Tuesday’s NL wild-card game between the Cubs (9568) and the Rockies (92-71). Colorado lost 5-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers (91-72) on Monday in the NL West tiebreaker game.
The Cubs will host the wild-card game. Jon Lester will start for the Cubs, but Chicago manager Joe Maddon said Cole Hamels and possibly Kyle Hendricks would be available out of the bullpen. Kyle Freeland will start for the Rockies.
“Pretty spectacular season for them,” Maddon said of the Brewers. “Hopefully we get another crack at them.” On Monday, after starters Jhoulys Chacin and Jose Quintana were long gone following impressive efforts, Arcia’s hit off Chicago’s third pitcher, Justin Wilson (4-5), triggered a two-run, difference-making eighth inning against four Cubs pitchers.
Pinch hitter Domingo Santana sent Arcia to third with a double, after which Cain lined his lead-grabbing single to center field off Steve Cishek. One out later, Ryan Braun singled off Brandon Kintzler to score Santana and make it 3-1. Josh Hader, the fifth Brewers pitcher, took care of matters from there, throwing two innings of one-hit relief for his 12th save, striking out three. He got Anthony Rizzo, who had earlier hit his 25th homer, to fly out to right field to end the game as the potential tying run after Javier Baez kept the Cubs alive with a two-out single.
Corey Knebel (4-3), who pitched a scoreless seventh inning, was credited with the win. Each starting pitcher handed off the game to his bullpen in a 1-1 tie. Quintana pitched around six hits in five innings, twice stranding a baserunner in scoring position. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.
Chacin contributed to Milwaukee’s run off Quintana in the third inning with a sacrifice bunt after Arcia led off with a single. Yelich’s RBI single came one out later.
Chacin took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Rizzo’s leadoff homer. It was the only hit and run Chacin gave up in 5 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Arcia scored twice and Yelich ran his batting average to .326 for the Brewers, who won their first NL Central title since 2011.
Rizzo’s homer was the only extra-base hit for the Cubs, who were lost for just the second time in their past six games. Lester (18-6, 3.32 ERA) was 4-1 with a 1.52 ERA in September. He is 9-7 with a 2.55 ERA in 25 postseason appearances (21 starts).
Freeland (17-7, 2.85 ERA) also finished the season hot, with 11 consecutive quality starts. He has no postseason experience. Earlier, Walker Buehler dominated over 6 2/3 innings, while Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy hit home runs, as the Los Angeles Dodgers won their sixth consecutive division title with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Colorado Rockies on Monday in a National League West tiebreaker game.
Game No. 163 was scheduled for the Rockies and Dodgers after they each finished the 162-game schedule with identical 91-71 records.
As NL West champions, the Dodgers will now open the NL Division Series at home Thursday against the Atlanta Braves. The Rockies will travel to Chicago to play in the NL wild-card game Tuesday against the Cubs. The Dodgers became the first team to win six consecutive division titles since the New York Yankees won nine consecutive American League East titles from 1998-2006. The Dodgers had never won more than two consecutive division titles before the current run.
Buehler not only allowed just one hit, he had a hit of his own at the plate and even collected his first career RBI on his single in the sixth inning. The right-hander walked three with three strikeouts.
Buehler (8-5) did not give up a hit until Charlie Blackmon singled with one out in the sixth inning. The rookie finished the season with a 2.15 ERA against the Rockies over 37 2/3 innings this season and a 2.62 ERA overall in 137 1/3 innings.
Bellinger got the Dodgers’ offense going with a tworun home run in the fourth inning, his 25th of the season. Muncy followed in the fifth inning with his own two-run home run, his 35th of the season. The Dodgers finished the season with an NL-leading 235 home runs.
Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story hit ninth-inning home runs for the Rockies off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. It was Arenado’s NL-leading 38th, while Story hit his 37th.
Rockies starter German Marquez (14-11) gave up four runs (two earned) on five hits over 4 2/3 innings with two walks and nine strikeouts. The right-hander finished the regular season with at least nine strikeouts in seven of his final eight starts and had 230 strikeouts on the season, fourth most in the NL.
The Dodgers won their fifth consecutive game against the Rockies going back to Sept. 9 and won the season series 13-7. The Dodgers closed out the season with 25 victories in their last 35 games. Despite the loss, the Rockies closed out the season by winning nine of their last 11 games.