Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - After a rocky start, Kyle Lohse retired
12 straight batters and pitched the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 win over the
Chicago Cubs on Friday in the opener of a three-game set from Wrigley Field.
Lohse (5-1) allowed three runs on seven hits -- all before the fourth inning
-- in seven frames to help the Brewers snap a brief two-game road losing skid
and move to 13-5 away from home this season.
"We're taking it a day at a time," said Lohse. "We're not worried about
tomorrow or the next day. ... We're just coming in and playing the day's game
and as soon as that one's over, you turn the page and go get them again."
Jean Segura went 3-for-5 with two RBI for Milwaukee and Jonathan Lucroy also
drive in a run in the triumph.
Darwin Barney and Junior Lake each homered for the slumping Cubs, who have
dropped 10 of their last 12 following a three-game winning streak from April
30-May 3.
Chicago ace Jeff Samardzija's winless streak moved to 15 games going back to
last season after yet another disappointing setback. The right-hander entered
Friday's matchup with the second-best ERA (1.45) in the majors, but was the
first pitcher since at least 1900 to give up three or fewer runs in his first
eight starts of a season without earning a win. His last victory came on Aug.
24 of last season
"Obviously, I want to win," Samardzija said. "Being a starting pitcher, you
have a big say in how the game turns out. Obviously if my record isn't where I
want it to be, I need to do a better job."
Samardzija (0-4) surrendered all four runs -- two earned -- on six hits with
six strikeouts over five innings.
The Brewers quickly got to work against Samardzija, manufacturing a pair of
runs in both the first and second innings.
Segura singled with one out in the first and moved to second on a wild pitch.
Lucroy then looped a single to left, which Lake fumbled to allow him to take
second as the speedy Segura trotted home easily on the play.
Lyle Overbay followed with a grounder to shortstop and Starlin Castro's throw
to first was off the mark. Lucroy scored on the play to make it 2-0.
Elian Herrera doubled to start the second and Logan Schafer walked before both
runners advanced on a passed ball by Cubs catcher Welington Castillo. Segura
then doubled the spread, plating both runners with a line-drive single back up
the middle.
Barney's two-run shot in the home half barely cleared the wall in left but cut
the Cubs' deficit in half, and Lake's third-inning solo blast made it 4-3.
Will Smith took over for Lohse and needed just 11 pitches to get through the
eighth inning, and Francisco Rodriguez pitched around Castro's leadoff single
in the ninth to record his 17th save of the season in as many tries.
Game Notes
Herrera went 2-for-4 with two doubles ... Milwaukee improved to 24-8 in their
last 32 meetings with the Cubs ... Samardzija fell to 0-4 in seven career
starts against the Brewers ... It was 42 degrees in Chicago at the start of
the game, the coldest temperature for game time on this date at Wrigley since
at least 1900 ... Four Chicago relievers combined to strike out eight batters
in four innings of work.