Milwaukee Brewers defeat Chicago Cubs 2-0 – MLB Update
Milwaukee Brewers were impressive on the field once again as they blanked the Chicago Cubs 2-0 on Wednesday, July 27 to gain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game series at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Brewers gained a slender .5 game lead from the St. Louis Cardinals to stay atop the National League Central Division. Milwaukee has a win-loss record of 56-49 while the Cardinals are just behind with 55-49 for the season.
The dismal run of form continued for the Chicago Cubs who have now slipped to 42-62 for the season. Their winning percentage has deteriorated to .404, the second-worst in the league and they are now 13.5 games away from the Brewers.
The second inning was the only inning which brought joy and worry for the Brewers. They scored their two runs for the game in the second inning helped by Prince Fielder’s gigantic 402-feet home-run and Craig Counsell’s run. Fielder, first baseman for the
Brewers took his season’s tally to 23 home-runs at a slugging percentage of .545.
However, Milwaukee suffered a blow when their star player and second baseman Rickie Weeks had to leave the game in the second innings due to an injury in the left ankle. Although this did not affect the outcome of the game, but this surely will hamper the
team’s cause as they seek a position for the playoffs. The Brewers will hope that this injury will not be a serious one and that Rickie returns to the side, in form, as soon as he is activated from the 15-day disabled list.
Weeks has been at the forefront of the aggressive intent which the Brewers have adapted this season. Acknowledging this, manager Ron Roenicke said, “He's going to be out a while. You win a good game and you get bad news. It hurts. Losing Rickie really hurts.
What we do offensively, he's a huge part of that."
Weeks is one of the best players to play at second base and is irreplaceable. His exit from the side at a crucial stage will add responsibility on Fielder and Ryan Braun to carry on the offensive intent.
Brewers’ starter Zack Greinke impressed at the mound. He pitched 6.2 good innings with just three hits and no runs in this stretch. Greinke recorded his eighth win of the season to take his win-loss tally to 8-4.
John Axford once again impressed with his pitching. He recorded his 29th save of the season in 31 chances and also made a franchise-record for 26 consecutive saves. The pitching outfit is knitting together just at the right time for the Brewers.
Cubs have been ordinary post All-Star break with seven losses in 12 games. Their only highlight has been their sweep of the Houston Astros at home. Now, the Cubs are just one loss away from a 3-0 series loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on the road.
Tags: