Peralta, Brewers cruise past Cubs
MILWAUKEE -- Wily Peralta worked into the eighth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers collected 15 hits -- including home runs from Jonathan Villar and Ryan Braun -- in a 12-5 drubbing of the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at Miller Park.
Peralta (6-9) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out six in 7 2/3 innings. He earned his second victory since being brought back from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Aug. 9.
Hernan Perez finished with four hits while Villar and Domingo Santana had three each. Braun finished 2-for-5 with four RBIs, and he and Kirk Nieuwenhuis each scored three runs.
Anthony Rizzo hit two home runs and Miguel Montero added one for the Cubs.
Jason Hammel (14-8) was 10-1 with 2.50 ERA in his career against Milwaukee entering the game, but he endured his second-worst outing of the season. He was charged with nine runs (eight earned) on 13 hits and two walks with five strikeouts, two wild pitches and a hit batter over 5 2/3 innings.
It took two batters for the Cubs to take a 1-0 lead on Rizzo's 27th home run of the season, but Milwaukee needed just two pitches to tie it as Villar made it a 1-1 game with his 13th of the year.
The Brewers followed with three singles, a walk and two more singles before making their first out -- a sacrifice fly by Martin Maldonado that gave Milwaukee a 5-1 lead.
Montero added a run in the second with a solo home run but the Brewers restored the four-run lead in the fourth when Peralta led off with a single, moved to third on Villar's single then scored when Montero overthrew second on Villar's stolen-base attempt.
Villar's two-out triple in the sixth and a walk by Nieuwenhuis set the stage for Braun, who took Hammel opposite-field for his 26th homer of the season.
Orlando Arcia gave Milwaukee a 10-2 lead with an RBI single in the seventh. Rizzo gave the Cubs two more runs when he hit his second homer of the game in the eighth, chasing Peralta.
Perez padded the lead with a two-run single in the bottom of the inning.
NOTES: Milwaukee added three players to its roster Tuesday, recalling C Andrew Susac and RHPs Taylor Jungmann and Damien Magnifico from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Jungmann is the most notable addition; he began the year in the Brewers' rotation but was demoted on April 29 after posting a 9.15 ERA in five starts. His struggles continued in Colorado Springs, to the point where he was sent to the team's spring training complex in June to regroup before returning to action with Double-A Biloxi where he went 3-4 with a 2.51 ERA in 13 starts. ... Chicago recalled OF Albert Almora, Jr., INF Munenori Kawasaki, C Tim Federowicz and RHP Spencer Patton from Triple-A Iowa Tuesday. All four are returning to the team after having brief stints earlier in the season. ... The Cubs also reinstated RHP Hector Rondon from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. He had been out since Aug. 16 with a strained right triceps.