Jameson Taillon threw six quality innings and Michael Busch drove in two runs as the Chicago Cubs posted a 4-1 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night, taking both games of a day-night doubleheader against their division rivals.
Taillon (8-6) allowed one run on five hits in his return from the injured list, having recovered from a right calf strain that kept him out since late June. He struck out four and walked one for Chicago, which beat Milwaukee 6-4 in the first game on Tuesday and has won four of its past five.
Andrew Kittredge threw a perfect ninth inning for his second save of the year.
Brandon Woodruff (4-1) surrendered three runs on five hits in 4 1/3 frames, striking out six and walking three. Andrew Vaughn’s first-inning RBI single accounted for the Brewers’ lone run as the club dropped back-to-back games for the first time since July 25-26.
After William Contreras singled and Christian Yelich walked with two outs in the first, Vaughn singled to center to give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead.
Nico Hoerner began the bottom of the second with a walk and a steal of second before Owen Caissie’s RBI single tied the game. Woodruff then struck out Dansby Swanson and retired Matt Shaw before Busch’s triple scored Caissie to give the Cubs a 2-1 advantage.
After Happ’s leadoff single in the fifth, Woodruff struck out Seiya Suzuki then was replaced by Aaron Ashby. The Milwaukee reliever struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong but allowed Carson Kelly’s single and Hoerner’s RBI base hit to extend Chicago’s lead to 3-1.
In the sixth, Shaw laced a one-out triple off Ashby then beat second baseman Brice Turang’s throw home on Busch’s grounder, pushing the margin to three runs.
Taylor Rogers replaced Taillon in the seventh, allowing Turang’s leadoff single and Joey Ortiz’s one-out base hit to put runners on the corners. Frelick then lined into a double play, as right fielder Willi Castro caught the second out before gunning down Turang with a perfect throw home.
Ashby accounted for the entirety of Milwaukee’s bullpen outing, allowing one run on four hits in 3 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
