Power isn’t lost in the heat
- It was more of the same for the Milwaukee Brewers against the new-look Chicago Cubs.
Powered by a three-home run day on offense and getting a solid start from Freddy Peralta, the Brewers notched a 4-2, seven-inning victory at Wrigley Field on Tuesday afternoon in Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader.
Willy Adames, Avisaíl García and Lorenzo Cain all went deep on a scorching hot and humid day that saw
the temperature rise to 94 degrees and heat index to 107 after the teams saw the previous night's game postponed due to severe weather.
"The weather was really bad today for me, and for everybody," said Peralta, who nevertheless persevered through 5 1/3 innings and 89 pitches, while also racking up his third hit of the season in the fifth. "Too hot and humid."
Milwaukee improved to 10-3 against Chicago this season, and upped its lead in the NL Central Division to six games.
The Brewers had managed only an Eduardo Escobar infield single through three innings against Cubs left-hander Justin Steele, who'd generated seven ground-ball outs over that span in his first major-league start.
Things changed quickly in the fourth, however, with Milwaukee taking a 3-1 lead within a seven-pitch span.
Adames went first, lofting a leadoff homer just into the basket in right field.
Escobar followed by lining a double to right and, on Steele's very next pitch, García hit a 457-foot bomb to left-center to tie his career high for homers in a season with 20 set in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
"That happens when you face a guy for the first time like we did today," García said of the Brewers finally settling in at the plate. "We got a little bit used to him. Thank God I saw the ball better and put a good swing on it."
After chasing Steele, Cain chipped in with a two-out, solo homer in the sixth — his first since May 3, and first extrabase hit since returning from the injured list — off Taylor Megill.
"The one blow to score runs is always important," manager Craig Counsell said. "We took advantage of some wind blowing out today with a couple, and it's a way to rally."
Devin Williams took the mound with a 4-2 lead in the seventh, and within four batters the Cubs had loaded the bases against him with one out.
But Williams buckled down and struck out the final two batters he faced to record his second save.
"He made better pitches once the bases got loaded," Counsell said. "The second hit, the blooper, obviously that happens, but he kept making pitches. It was great to see.
"In a tough spot, he kept making pitches."
Peralta recovered from a shaky third to retire six of seven batters before again getting into trouble in the sixth.
It began with a Patrick Wisdom chopper to the left of the mound that Peralta fielded but threw wildly to first, allowing Wisdom to advance to second.
A flyout allowed Wisdom to tag and go to third, and Frank Schwindel followed with a hard smash down the third-base line that caromed off the glove of Luis Urías for an RBI double.
That ended Peralta's day. He was replaced by Brad Boxberger, and he retired both batters he faced to shut down the budding rally.
"I thought Freddy pitched really well," Counsell said. "The conditions were difficult. I mean, the heat was incredible, it was difficult. To get into the sixth inning, especially after the inning he got the hit and had to run the bases there, to come out and get through the bottom of the fifth inning was big there.
"He probably ran out of gas a little bit in a spot he normally doesn't because of the heat."
Facing a Cubs lineup devoid of almost all its familiar faces after the team's fire sale at the trading deadline, Peralta struck out four over the first two innings before laboring in the third.
Chicago loaded the bases with one out after a pair of singles and Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch. Peralta struck out Ian Happ and then got to within a pitch of striking out Wisdom only to walk him and force in a run.
The bases-loaded walk was the first for Peralta since his rookie season in 2018.
All told, the right-hander allowed five hits, two runs and two walks while striking out eight to improve to 9-3.
As for Game 2, left-hander Aaron Ashby will get his second chance of the season — and his career — against the Cubs after being ripped for seven runs (five earned) in his major-league debut against them on June 30 (a game the Brewers ultimately came back to win).
"Yeah, I think he's eager to get back out there, for sure," Counsell said. "When it doesn't go well the first time, you want that next opportunity. He's been pitching the ball really well at Triple-A and he earned the opportunity."