Cubs 7, Brewers 1
Matt Garza struck out 10 in his second complete game of the season and Marlon Byrd homered as the Chicago Cubs proved they still have some fight left by clinching a three-game series win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers with a 7-1 victory on Wednesday.
D.J. LeMahieu doubled in a pair of runs and Starlin Castro brought his hit total to 199 with a single and a double for the Cubs, who have a chance to play spoiler to the rival St. Louis Cardinals during a three-game series this weekend.
The Brewers’ magic number to clinch the National League Central remains at three, as they enjoy a five-game lead over the Cardinals.
Garza (9-10) surrendered just an unearned run on five hits and walked one in his fifth straight quality start. The righthander has gone nine innings in back-to-back outings and has allowed three earned runs or less in 10 straight.
Castro tied it at 1-1 with an RBI single in the third and LeMahieu put Chicago up for good in the fifth when Nyger Morgan lost a ball in the sun in center field, leading to a two-run double.
Byrd put it away in the sixth, taking a 1-2 pitch from Randy Wolf (13-10) and lining it into the last row of seat down the left field line.