Cahill, Bullpen Combine For 3-Hitter, Cubs Beat Brewers 4-0
CHICAGO (AP) -- Trevor Cahill came off the disabled list to throw five innings of two-hit ball in his first start in nearly 16 months, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-0, on Tuesday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.
Mike Montgomery followed with two innings, Hector Rondon worked the eighth and Joe Smith walked two in the ninth before Aroldis Chapman got two outs to close the three-hitter.
Cahill (2-3) also drove in a run with a safety squeeze bunt, and the Cubs added runs on a wild pitch and Addison Russell's sacrifice fly off Matt Garza (4-5).
Cahill allowed two walks and struck out Manny Pina with a runner on third to end the fifth.
Chapman hit 103 mph while striking out two for his fifth save with the Cubs, who ended a two-game skid.
Chicago's Jason Hammel (12-5) was to face fellow Chase Anderson (7-10) in the second game.
Cahill was a 2010 All-Star before consecutive 200-inning seasons with Oakland. But the right-hander struggled in Arizona, started three games for Atlanta in April last year, moved to the bullpen and was released before signing with Chicago.
He was a reliever until going on the disabled list with right knee tendinitis. But he was stretched out in a rehab assignment and had good command in his first big league appearance since July 9.
Unlike the previous two games, the Chicago bullpen held the lead.
Garza allowed a run in a 28-pitch first inning and his run-scoring wild pitch in the third made it 2-0. Cahill fourth successfully bunted a 3-2 pitch in the fourth, and first baseman Chris Carter's flip home wasn't in time to get a sliding Chris Coghlan.
Garza allowed five hits in five innings for the Brewers, who have lost six of jine, Tyler Cravy, Milwaukee's 26th player, threw two scoreless innings.
Chris Coghlan hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth off Damien Magnifico, who made his major league debut.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
