Led By Braun's 2 Homers, Brewers Beat Cubs, 11-3
CHICAGO (AP) — Ryan Braun went deep twice to reach 30 homers for the sixth time, Chris Carter hit a grand slam off the Wrigley Field video board and the Milwaukee Brewers routed the NL Central champion Chicago Cubs, 11-3, on Saturday.
Braun had five RBIs, including a pair of two-run homers. He reached 30 home runs for the first time since he had a career-high 41 in 2012, before his 65-game suspension for violations of baseball's drug agreement and labor contract.
Carter hit his 35th homer, a drive off Spencer Patton that would have traveled 438 if it had landed unimpeded, according to MLB's Statcast. Domingo Santana added a solo shot and Scooter Gennett doubled twice.
Zach Davies (11-7) settled down after allowing three runs in the first, allowing seven hits in five innings, and four pitchers combined for one-hit relief.
Cris Coghlan hit a two-run homer and Kris Bryant tripled in a run in the first. Manager Joe Maddon used a starting lineup of mostly reserves after the Cubs celebrated winning the division, a title they clinched late on Thursday night.
Jake Arrieta (17-7), the 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner, gave up four runs — three earned — on four hits and four walks in six innings. He is 3-2 with a 4.58 ERA and 21 walks in his last six starts.
BEING THE BEST
The Cubs entered Saturday's game six games ahead of Washington with the best record in the majors. Holding on would assure Chicago of home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs.
Manager Joe Maddon pointed to last season's NL Championship Series, when Chicago was swept by the New York Mets.
"We want to have the best record in baseball and we do want to have home-field advantage," Maddon said. "Does it matter at the end of the day? We'll find out."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Brewers: RHP Junior Guerra's season was ended because of an innings limit. . Milwaukee recalled outfielder Michael Reed from Triple-A Colorado Springs to help fill a gap created by injuries to outfielders Keon Broxton (right wrist fracture) and Kirk Nieuwenhuis (abdominal strain). Broxton will miss the remainder of the season and Nieuwenhuis will be re-evaluated on Monday.
UP NEXT
RHP Wily Peralta (6-10, 5.42) is to start Sunday for the Brewers and NL ERA leader Kyle Hendricks (15-7, 2.03) for the Cubs. Hendricks, a right-hander who took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning Monday at St. Louis, is 11-1 with a 1.27 ERA in his last 16 outings.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
