The Milwaukee Brewers, fueled by three round-trippers and a strong bullpen performance highlighted by rookie Jacob Misiorowski, stand just one triumph away from their initial NLCS appearance in seven seasons.
The Brewers cruised to a noteworthy 7-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the NLDS on Monday at American Family Field. This provided them with a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-five series as it shifts to Wrigley Field later in the week. Misiorowski, typically a starter making his debut in the postseason, earned the win after contributing three scoreless innings in relief.
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The Cubs, who suffered a 9-3 defeat in Game 1, started strong on Monday and seemed poised to rebound in the series. Seiya Suzuki launched a three-run homer in the opening inning after Nico Hoerner singled and Justin Turner received a walk preceding him.
However, Chicago’s lead was short-lived. The Brewers responded with Shota Imanaga pitching, as Andrew Vaughn countered with a three-run blast of his own in the bottom of the inning to equalize the score.
William Contreras then propelled the Brewers into the lead for the first time that evening with a solo home run in the third inning, bringing Imanaga’s outing to an end after only 2 2/3 innings.
In the subsequent inning, Jackson Chourio widened the gap for Milwaukee. He connected with the deepest hit of the night, sending the ball straight to center field for a three-run home run off reliever Drew Pomeranz. This extended the Brewers’ lead to four. All seven of their runs were produced by home runs with two outs.
Misiorowski was brought in to pitch during the middle of the game, after opener Aaron Ashby struggled in his 1 2/3 innings. Misiorowski assisted in stabilizing the situation following Chicago’s initial burst, pitching three scoreless innings. This marked his initial postseason appearance, and 31 of his pitches surpassed 100 mph — the most by any pitcher in a postseason game during the pitch-tracking era. His fastest pitch was recorded at 104.3 mph.
Despite their promising beginning, the Cubs were unable to score another run after the first inning and concluded the game with just four hits. According to OptaStats, the Cubs are the first team in MLB postseason history to hit a three-run home run in the first inning but then fail to score again and ultimately lose the game.
The Cubs will attempt to mount a comeback to force a Game 5, commencing with Game 3 at Wrigley Field on Wednesday (5:08 p.m. ET/TBS, TruTV). In that game, Milwaukee will be aiming for a series sweep and some additional rest before the NLCS.
