MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers didn't muster much against Zack Greinke when they faced him last week in Phoenix, but Travis Shaw & Co. powered their way to a win in Monday's rematch at Miller Park.
Shaw connected for a two-out, two-run home run off Greinke in the bottom of the first inning, and Domingo Santana and Lorenzo Cain added solo shots to back Chase Anderson's return from the disabled list in Milwaukee's 4-2 win over the D-backs.
The Brewers have hit 20 home runs while winning eight of their last 11 games, a stretch that includes three wins in four tries against a D-backs team that has lost 11 of 12. First-place Milwaukee remained 1 1/2 games up on the Cardinals in the NL Central.
"This is kind of what we've been searching for all year," said Shaw, who has emerged from a 5-for-50 funk to hit .325 with four home runs in his last 10 starts. "It took a while to show up, but consistently we've done a pretty good job now for a couple of weeks."

Anderson, back from a stomach bug to pitch six quality innings, was not the only Brewers pitcher returning to a familiar role. Corey Knebel, who missed a month with a hamstring injury before easing back to action over the past two weeks, closed it out for his first save since the season-opening series in San Diego.
Anderson surrendered a single to the first batter he faced, hit another and walked two in the first inning, including free-swinging second baseman Ketel Marte with the bases loaded. But Shaw gave the Brewers the lead one half-inning later before Santana (fourth inning in a 3-0 count) and Cain (sixth inning) added insurance, while Anderson settled in to work through the end of the sixth. He allowed two runs on three hits.

Of Shaw's homer, Anderson said, "It was a nice answer. Travis has just been awesome this season. When he answers like that with a two-run homer it gives you confidence that we are going to score some runs today."
That was no sure thing entering the day against Greinke, who was tough on Milwaukee hitters six days earlier at Chase Field while allowing one run on four hits in six innings of a 2-1 D-backs win. In his first three starts of May, Greinke had surrendered only three earned runs in 18 2/3 innings against the Astros, Nationals and Brewers.

And the Brewers -- at least manager Craig Counsell, a former teammate in 2011 -- knew that Greinke has been a force at Miller Park, especially during his season and a half pitching for Milwaukee in 2011-12, when he was 15-0 with a 2.93 ERA here.
But Monday was different, beginning with Shaw.
"Any time you have a pitcher like Greinke on the mound, playing with the lead is significantly different," Counsell said. "It is the first inning, but it felt like a game where runs were going to be scarce. Getting that lead is certainly more comfortable, and it probably was one of the more important plays of the game tonight."

MOMENT THAT MATTERED
Knebel closes it out: "It had been a while. That was good to hear," said Knebel after Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" shook Miller Park's sound system at the start of the ninth. That guitar riff announced Knebel's first save opportunity at home all season, and Knebel made quick work of the D-backs in a 13-pitch, 12-strike inning that included a strikeout. Counsell had been ready to put Knebel back in a save situation, where he feels the 2017 All-Star best fits the rest of the Brewers' bullpen picture, for more a week. The games did not cooperate until Monday.
"I knew it was going to be coming soon," said Knebel. "It's good to be here at home."

SOUND SMART
Josh Hader gets more headlines, but Brewers reliever Jeremy Jeffress is quietly putting together his own All-Star Game case. His scoreless eighth inning Monday was Jeffress' 21st consecutive appearance without being charged with a run, during which he has held hitters 5-for-64 (.078). It's the longest streak of scoreless appearances in the Major Leagues this season, and the longest by a Brewers pitcher since John Axford went 23 consecutive outings without being charged with a run in 2013.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Shaw's contributions were not limited to the batter's box. Twice, he robbed D-backs cleanup man Paul Goldschmidt of a hit, first on a backhanded play in the third inning and then on a charging, barehanded play in the eighth. After a slew of April errors by the team's infielders, Counsell has lauded his team's run prevention of late.
"When you make that many errors early, you don't want to be looked at as a bad defensive team. At least I don't," Shaw said. "I think a lot of guys pride in it. I take pride in it. We had to focus a little bit more."

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
Anderson was rolling by the fifth inning, retiring 11 in a row before a leadoff walk to Jeff Mathis. Anderson erased that runner with David Peralta's inning-ending double play, though it took a terrific stretch by first baseman Jesus Aguilar, who did the splits while holding first base, plus a Brewers challenge. Peralta initially was ruled safe on the play, but that was overturned upon review.

UP NEXT
Jhoulys Chacin (3-1, 3.63 ERA) will look to continue his impressive May when he starts Tuesday's 6:40 p.m. CT rematch against the D-backs in the second game of a 10-game Brewers homestand. Chacin sports a 1.96 ERA through 18 1/3 innings over three starts this month, including seven innings of one-run ball last week in Arizona. Right-hander Matt Koch (2-2, 4.06 ERA) will get the nod for the D-backs.