Strong Brew: Early Homers Help Milwaukee Beat Cubs in NLDS Game 2

Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio each hit a three-run homer, William Contreras added a solo shot and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3 on Monday night to move one win from a trip to the National League Championship Series.

The Brewers have a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-five Division Series, which shifts to Wrigley Field in Chicago for Game 3 on Wednesday. Teams taking a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five postseason series have won 80 of 90 times, including 54 sweeps.

Milwaukee is attempting to win a postseason series for the first time since 2018, when it reached Game 7 of the NLCS.

Vaughn and Chourio hit the first two three-run homers in Brewers postseason history. Contreras’ solo shot in the third inning broke a 3-all tie.

Chicago slugger Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run homer of his own — a 440-foot shot to left-center in the first inning against Aaron Ashby. After coming out of the bullpen in 42 of his 43 regular-season appearances, Ashby served as an opener in this one.

But the Cubs didn’t score again. Nick Mears, Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Jared Koenig, Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe combined for 7 1/3 innings of shutout relief in which they allowed just one hit.

Misiorowski came on in the third and threw three scoreless innings to earn the win while hitting at least 100 mph on 31 of his 57 pitches. Each of the rookie’s first eight pitches went at least 102.6 mph, and he topped out at 104.3.

While Misiorowski was sizzling, Chicago’s Shota Imanaga was fizzling.

Twice in the first three innings, Imanaga retired the first two batters before running into trouble that resulted in a homer. Imanaga has allowed multiple homers in six of his last eight appearances.

Vaughn tied the game in the bottom of the first with a drive over the left-field wall after Contreras and Christian Yelich delivered two-out singles. According to MLB, this was the first playoff game in which each team hit a three-run homer in the first inning.

Contreras then hit a 411-foot shot to left with two outs in the third.

Vaughn’s first-inning drive marked the first time the Brewers had ever hit a three-run homer or a grand slam in the postseason. They got their second just three innings later, when Chourio connected on his 419-foot shot off Daniel Palencia.

Chourio was back in the leadoff spot after tightness in his right hamstring caused him to leave in the second inning of Milwaukee’s 9-3 Game 1 victory on Saturday. Chourio went 3 for 3 with three RBIs in Game 1 before his exit, making him the first player to have three hits in the first two innings of a postseason game.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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