The game was tied through five innings. Then the sixth happened. Chicago's offense erupted for four runs in that frame, turning a 2-2 deadlock into a comfortable lead that Milwaukee never threatened, as the Cubs won 8-2 Saturday night at American Family Field.
Seiya Suzuki started the damage early, homering to right in the fourth — a two-run shot that scored Shaw and gave Chicago its first lead of the night. He finished 2-for-5 with one home run and 2 RBI. Ian Happ delivered the knockout blow in the sixth, a three-run homer to right that scored Busch and Hoerner and pushed the Cubs' lead to 6-2. Happ went 1-for-4 with 3 RBI on the night, carrying a .227 average with 17 home runs and 41 RBI on the season.
The decisive sequence began when Nico Hoerner singled to right, scoring Bregman to put Chicago ahead 3-2 — the go-ahead run. Happ followed with his three-run blast, and the Cubs added another in the seventh when Bregman's sacrifice fly scored Shaw. Michael Conforto capped the scoring with a solo homer to right center in the ninth.
Milwaukee's Kyle Harrison was sharp but left without a decision, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits over 5.0 innings with 9 strikeouts and 1 walk on 92 pitches. The damage fell on Chad Patrick, who surrendered 4 runs on 2 hits in just 0.2 innings and took the loss, falling to 5-4 with a 3.90 ERA. David Peterson earned the win for Chicago, going 5.2 innings and allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with 2 strikeouts, improving to 4-6 with a 6.09 ERA.
Jackson Chourio gave Milwaukee an early lead with a solo homer to center in the first, and Sal Frelick's single scored Perkins in the fifth to tie the game at 2-2. But the Brewers' offense managed just 5 hits on the night. Chicago is now 44-38. Milwaukee, despite the loss, entered the game at 50-29 atop the division on a five-game winning streak. Seiya Suzuki, who homered in the fourth, is one home run away from 100 in his career.