Cubs 7, Brewers 2
MILWAUKEE -- Dioner Navarro's seventh home run of the season capped a four-run third inning as the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2 on Thursday afternoon at Miller Park.
Chicago won a series in Milwaukee for the first time since September 2010 in large part because of two Brewers errors in the third; one by left fielder Caleb Gindl that led directly to a run and another by Juan Francisco before Navarro sent Milwaukee starter Wily Peralta's first offering to right, giving the Cubs a 6-0 lead.
Peralta, up and down in his first full season as a starter, was erratic but not overly wild in his 17th start of the season and third against the Cubs. He allowed seven runs and eight hits in five innings, but only three runs were earned.
Peralta struck out two, walked one and was charged with a wild pitch.
While the Cubs' offense took advantage of Peralta and the Brewers' defensive woes, starter Matt Garza had little difficulty with Milwaukee's lineup.
The Brewers managed just two base runners through the first three innings and didn't get a hit until the fourth when Aramis Ramirez singled to center with one out. The Brewers finally got on the board in the sixth when Logan Schafer's double to right scored Jean Segura to make it 7-1.
Garza (3-1) worked through the seventh and won his second straight decision after holding Milwaukee to a run, eight hits and a walk with a season-high 10 strikeouts.
In his last three starts, Garza is 2-0 with an 0.81 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 22 innings.
Francisco homered for the third time in as many games in the eighth inning.
NOTES: The Cubs are 4-19 in their last 23 games at Miller Park. ... Milwaukee LF Ryan Braun, on the disabled list with an injured right hand, swung a bat Tuesday and felt soreness on Wednesday but was going to try again Thursday, according to manager Ron Roenicke. ... Jorge Soler, Chicago's No. 3 minor league prospect, will miss the next four to six weeks with a stress fracture in his left leg. Soler was hitting .281 with eight home runs, 13 doubles and 35 RBI with Class A Daytona but has not played since June 13. ... Carlos Gomez took batting practice on Thursday and could return to action Friday when the Brewers travel to Pittsburgh. Gomez missed the entire Cubs series after injuring his shoulder when crashing into the wall against the Braves last Sunday. ... The Brewers have committed four errors in their last two games and are sixth in the National League with 52 this season.
