MILWAUKEE (AP) - The Brewers’ hit parade has come to a halt.
After nine straight games with at least 10 hits, Milwaukee’s potent lineup got shut down by Chicago Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel. He tossed seven strong innings Saturday, and Anthony Rizzo hit two two-run homers to beat the Brewers 8-0 on a sunny Saturday.
Hammel “has a quick arm and it kind of sneaks up on you a bit,” said Brewers second baseman Scooter Gennett, who had two hits of the Brewers’ four hits.
“Today was even tougher - day game with our tough shadows. It goes both ways, too. They have to hit with it. There (are) no excuses,” Gennett said.
Rizzo seemed to acclimate himself to the mid-afternoon shadows just fine. Both homers off Wily Peralta (4-5) came on full-count pitches and went deep to right, the second one into the second deck to give the Cubs a four-run lead in the sixth.
“He had a couple bad pitches to Rizzo, and Rizzo gives him trouble,” manager Ron Roenicke said. “He makes mistakes to him and Rizzo does not miss them.”
It was more than enough support for Hammel (6-3), who frustrated the Brewers by mixing a fastball in the low 90s with a tough slider. Hammel struck out a season-high eight to help Chicago snap a three-game losing streak.
Peralta was chased in the five-run sixth that started with a single from Hammel, who later scored on Rizzo’s homer.
Many Cubs fans who made the short trip north wore No. 44 shirts for Rizzo, the left-handed first baseman who returned to the lineup Saturday after getting his first day off of the season. The rested Rizzo rewarded his backers with his fifth career multi-homer game, and first since Aug. 21, 2013 against Washington.
“It was nice just to be able to watch the game yesterday … slow life down a little bit while I’m on the bench,” Rizzo said. “Today’s obviously a good day for myself and our club.”
His first homer in the fourth Saturday came two batters after a safe call on runner Emilio Bonifacio at second was confirmed following a Brewers replay challenge. Milwaukee was hoping Bonifacio would turn into the front end of a double play.
Peralta had one his worst outings of the season after being charged for six runs and five hits. His ERA rose from 2.12 to 2.73 following an outing of 5 2-3 innings.
The hard-throwing righty was checked out on the mound in the second inning after tweaking his back on a delivery. Peralta said it didn’t affect him the rest of the game.
“I threw one pitch, (felt) a little tight,” Peralta said. “After that I was fine.”
Peralta was also on the losing end in the Cubs’ 4-0 win over Milwaukee on April 27 at Miller Park, when Hammel held the Brewers scoreless over seven innings and struck out seven.
This performance came after Hammel watched from the dugout Friday night as the Brewers pounded out 16 hits against his fellow Cubs pitchers. Several hits went to the opposite field, so Hammel was determined to pitch inside more to avoid a repeat performance.
“So, I made sure they knew that I was throwing in,” he said. “Today, I had a pretty good slider. I kept them off balance.”
NOTES: The replay review took about 1 minute, 45 seconds. … Cubs manager Rick Renteria said RHP Hector Rondon’s wife gave birth to a boy Friday, when Rondon was placed on the three-day paternity list. Renteria left open the possibility that his closer could return for the series finale Sunday afternoon against Milwaukee. … After stealing second, the Brewers’ Carlos Gomez was awarded third on an interference call by second base umpire Paul Emmel on Cubs 2B Darwin Barney, who was in the way while Gomez tried to advance on an errant throw. … Brewers 3B Aramis Ramirez (hamstring) is scheduled to begin a two-day rehab stint Sunday at the team’s Class-A affiliate in Appleton and could be activated off the 15-day disabled list either Tuesday or Wednesday. …… Cubs RH Jeff Samardzija (1-4) faces the Brewers’ Kyle Lohse (6-1) on Sunday.
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