Cubs pounce on Crew for 5th straight win
CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler each drove in two runs Tuesday night to help Dan Haren pick up his 150th career win and first with the Cubs, who beat the mistake-prone Brewers, 6-3, for their fifth straight win and 11th in the past 12 games.
"Keep it rolling," said manager Joe Maddon of the Cubs, who are 15 games over .500 for the first time since ending the 2008 season 97-64. "The next goal is 20. I'm really proud of these guys and the way they're going about their business."
Acquired July 31 from the Marlins, Haren served up a two-run homer to Adam Lind in the sixth but struck out six over 5 1/3 innings for his first win since July 12. Haren's fastball topped at 89 mph.
"He makes good, quality pitches," Chicago catcher Miguel Montero said of Haren, a teammate with the D-backs in 2008-10. "If you look at it, he was right on the edges with a lot of pitches. When you paint those edges, it doesn't matter how hard you throw."
Taylor Jungmann took the loss, the Brewers' 14th in their last 20 games. The right-hander gave up four runs -- two earned -- over 2 2/3 innings in the first of his 12 Major League starts that did not last at least five innings.
Video: MIL@CHC: Rizzo discusses Cubs offense, Castro in win
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MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Taking advantage: The Cubs' second was an inning the Brewers would rather forget. With one out, Kris Bryant doubled to left, the ball dropping just under a diving Khris Davis, who couldn't find it once he got up even though it was at his feet. Bryant scored on Soler's single, and Soler reached third on Montero's single. Haren then bunted to Jungmann, who threw to catcher Jonathan Lucroy, but he couldn't hold onto the ball, and Soler scored on the error. One batter later, Dexter Fowler hit a sacrifice fly to open a 3-0 lead.
Video: MIL@CHC: Soler puts Cubs up early with a single
The Cubs found a variety of ways to score, including a bases-loaded walk and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the fourth.
"These last 11 games have helped us as far as our mentality and getting out of a group rut that we were in," said Rizzo, who is batting .419 in nine August games. "We're all very confident here and have to keep it going. The mentality in here has been unbelievable."
Video: MIL@CHC: Soler gets hit by a pitch to score a run
Trouble for Taylor: When he issued a walk in the third to Haren -- the .143-hitting opposing pitcher -- it capped Jungmann's first dud as a big league starter. The Brewers' defensive lapses and Jungmann's own inconsistent command meant he needed 81 pitches for eight outs.
"I still have to make pitches," Jungmann said when asked about the defensive lapses behind him. "I didn't really put myself in many positions to make pitches. You can't make pitches in 2-0 counts, 3-0 counts, when guys are sitting on stuff. I backed myself in a corner in a lot of those situations."
Video: MIL@CHC: Rizzo doubles to bring home Coghlan
Penmanship: James Russell pitched the ninth for his first save this season, and became the seventh Cubs reliever to record a save. It helps that nearly anyone in the 'pen can do the job. Pedro Strop, for example, retired the side in the eighth and has not given up a run over his last 11 relief appearances, striking out 13.
"I've been involved in this kind of bullpen in the past," Maddon said. "You need a bunch of guys who are really ego-less to make it work, somebody who is not going to be upset that one night he's pitching in the sixth and maybe the next night, the eighth or the ninth. I think our guys understand it's based on your talents versus their's and we're just trying to put the best matchup out there possible."
Video: MIL@CHC: J. Russell gets Schafer to end the game
Lind launch: One of the Brewers' rare highlights came in the top of the sixth inning, when Lind hit a hanging breaking ball from Haren for a two-run home run that pulled Milwaukee to within 6-3. Lind's 17th home run (two shy of Ryan Braun's team lead) was his first since July 22 against the Indians, and his first on the road since July 5 at Cincinnati.
Video: MIL@CHC: Lind connects for a long two-run homer
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QUOTABLE
"Up to this point, he's had some outings where he's had some rough early innings, but he's kind of righted the ship. Tonight, to me, it didn't feel like it was happening. It's the first start where he hasn't been able to get it back on track, and that's OK. He'll do a good job next time." -- Brewers manager Craig Counsell on Jungmann
"It's kind of like we've got blinders on. We're just playing the game, just trying to beat the game through execution -- it doesn't matter who's on the other side. I've always liked the phrase, 'Beat the game through execution.' If you really understand that -- I've talked about the relentless execution of fundamentals and technique. When you're able to do that and understand it's about beating the game of baseball on a nightly basis, you'll do well." -- Maddon
Video: MIL@CHC: Maddon discusses Haren's outing, team's win
REPLAY REVIEW
Chicago's Chris Coghlan was called out on a stolen-base attempt in the third inning, but the Cubs challenged the call. After a review, the call was overturned and Coghlan was credited with a stolen base. He eventually scored on Rizzo's double.
Video: MIL@CHC: Coghlan gets steal after out call overturned
WHAT'S NEXT
Brewers: Former Cub Matt Garza gets the start for Milwaukee as the series continues at 7:05 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Garza has been solid since a brief stint on the disabled list for a sore shoulder, posting a 2.55 ERA in his first 24 1/2 innings off the DL. He has a 2.77 ERA in his two starts against the Cubs this season.
Cubs: Jason Hammel will face the Brewers for the second time in his last three starts. He beat them July 31 at Miller Park, giving up one earned run over 5 2/3 innings. Hammel was pulled early in his last outing against the Giants, and wasn't happy about it. He is 7-0 with a 2.18 ERA in nine career starts against the Brewers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field.
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