Brewers 6, Blue Jays 1
Mike Fiers worked seven dominant innings as host Milwaukee cruised past Toronto in the opener of their two-game interleague series.
Fiers (3-1), who struck out a career-high 14 in his previous start, fanned six in this outing and allowed a run on two hits and a walk to the first six hitters he faced before retiring the next 18. Jonathan Lucroy and Aramis Ramirez each drove in a run and recorded two of the team's season-high seven doubles as Milwaukee won its fifth straight and maintained its 2 1/2-game lead over second-place St. Louis in the National League Central.
Colby Rasmus doubled to account for the Blue Jays’ only extra-base hit while Dioner Navarro registered the club's other hit and scored its lone run as Toronto fell to a major league-worst 4-12 in August. J.A. Happ (8-8) dropped his third straight outing, giving up four runs on six hits over 3 1/3 innings.
Three of Milwaukee's first four batters doubled as Lucroy and Ramirez each drove in a run during a two-run opening frame. Toronto got back a run when Rasmus scored on Munenori Kawasaki’s groundout, but back-to-back doubles by Lucroy and Ryan Braun sparked another two-run surge in the third inning.
Reliever Todd Redmond started the fifth and allowed two more runs to score before recording an out as Khris Davis followed an inning-opening ground-rule double by Ramirez with a two-base hit of his own before scoring on Rickie Weeks' single on the following pitch. Zach Duke and Brandon Kintzler each worked a flawless inning in relief to complete the two-hitter.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Lucroy has a major-league high 42 doubles and is bidding to become the first catcher to lead his league in two-base hits. … Toronto has lost eight of its last 11 meetings with Milwaukee. … The Brewers have recorded 23 quality starts over the last 27 contests.