Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Cubs open wider gap in Central
MILWAUKEE — Jose Quintana was acquired by the Chicago Cubs for big games, and he came through big against the Brewers.
Quintana pitched a three-hitter for his second big league shutout, and the Cubs beat Milwaukee 5-0 on Sunday to close in on a second consecutive National League Central title and damage the Brewers’ playoff hopes.
Coming off its first World Series title since 1908, Chicago (87-68) won three of four in the weekend series and opened a 5½-game lead over the second-place Brewers (82-74)
with seven games remaining.
Obtained from the White Sox on July 13, Quintana is pitching on a team headed for the playoffs for the first time in his big league career.
“We talked about it when he got over here,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “He was really jacked up about having a chance to play in the playoffs. He’s showing that right now. Games like that, to me, can be kind of career-altering for a pitcher. When you pitch a complete game shutout, on the road, under these circumstances, that definitely does something for your interior.”
Quintana (7-3 with Cubs, 11-11 overall) struck out 10 and walked one in his second complete game in 182 starts. He threw 116 pitches, his most since Sept. 7 last year.
He allowed singles to Ryan Braun in the first, Hernan Perez in the third and Keon Broxton in the fifth, and retired his final 11 batters after Domingo Santana walked in the sixth.
Only two runners reached second base, with both getting into scoring position on a stolen base. Quintana struck out pitcher Chase Anderson with Broxton on second in the fifth and got Travis Shaw to fly out to
center with Santana on second in the sixth.
Quintana’s other shutout was a seven-hitter for the Chicago White Sox against Cleveland on July 24, 2015.
Milwaukee dropped two games behind Colorado for the NL’s second wild card with six games left.
“I know we are behind, but I feel like if we have a good week of baseball it is more dependent on us and not counting on something else to happen completely,” Manager Craig Counsell said.
Anderson (11-4) allowed 3 runs and 7 hits in 61 innings. He had been 4-0 in five starts since losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 25.