MILWAUKEE -- Good pitching will usually slow a red-hot offense, and such was the case Saturday afternoon at Miller Park.
The Milwaukee Brewers came in with 10 or more hits in nine consecutive games, averaging 6.6 runs over their last nine contests. Fresh off scoring a season-high 11 runs Friday night, the Brewers were shut down yet again by Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel in an 8-0 loss.
"He's got great stuff, good command, a real live fastball," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said of Hammel. "Itâs got a nice angle to it. Heâs got a really good breaking ball. He commands the ball well."
Hammel improved to 5-0 with a 1.85 ERA in six career starts against the Brewers by allowing just four hits and striking out eight over seven scoreless innings. The right-hander has tossed 14 scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts in two starts at Miller Park this season and is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in four career starts in Milwaukee's home park.
The 3:10 p.m. start made it harder to see at the plate as the game wore on, but the shadows only seemed to impact the Brewers. Chicago got a pair of two-run home runs from Anthony Rizzo -- one in the fourth and another two innings later -- and broke open the game with a five-run sixth inning.
"He's got good stuff," Brewers second baseman Scooter Gennett said of Hammel. "He works both sides of the plate with a good slider and a good curveball. He has a quick arm and it kind of sneaks up on you a bit.
"Today was even tougher -- day game with our tough shadows. It goes both ways, too. They have to hit with it. There's no excuses."
Brewers starter Wily Peralta retired the first nine batters he faced before Emilio Bonifacio led off the fourth with a single. One batter later, Rizzo blasted a 96-mph fastball out to right on a 3-2 pitch to put the Cubs up 2-0.
Milwaukee felt Rizzo's first home run should have been a solo shot, as Roenicke was puzzled as to how he lost a challenge just prior to the Cubs first baseman connecting for his ninth of the season. Junior Lake hit a sharp grounder to Mark Reynolds at third base and despite Bonifacio running on the pitch, Reynolds tried to start the double play with a force out at second base.
Second-base umpire Paul Emmel called Bonifacio safe, but replays show he appeared to be out on a close play. The call stood upon review, putting a runner in scoring position for Rizzo.
"Very surprised," Roenicke said of the play standing. "I saw it up on the board. It was pretty plain to see. You guys all saw it, too, so I didnât understand that.
"They don't let me know (why he was ruled safe), and what I wanted to know and I asked Jerry Mills was: Does it come from New York? If the guys here are looking up on the board and see something, do they have any input? It comes from New York. I donât know what they saw different than what we saw."
Peralta cruised through the fifth inning but allowed a leadoff single to Hamel -- who entered with one hit in 22 plate appearances -- in the sixth. The right-hander bounced back to retire the next two batters before Rizzo hit another 3-2 pitch out to right, this one traveling an estimated 424 feet.
"The first one I think, it was a pretty good pitch, a 3-2 count," Peralta said. "The other one just came back to the middle trying to go backdoor. He put a good swing on it, nothing you can do about that. Just next time out I'm going to face him a couple more times during the season, just trying to get him out."
The Cubs piled on from there, as Peralta allowed a double and a walk before giving way to Zach Duke. Chicago greeted the left-hander with three consecutive hits to put the game out of reach at 7-0.
Hammel took it from there, pitching more than six innings for the first time since May 9 and continuing his dominance of the Brewers.
"You're going to have good games most of the time, and we have been, I think," Roenicke said. "And then youâre going to have games where there's just a really tough pitcher, and they did a really nice job of hitting. In tough circumstances, I think they did a great job with hitting."
All clear: The Brewers held their collective breath in the second inning when Peralta stomped on the mound in frustration, causing Roenicke and athletic trainer Dan Wright to head to the mound.
Peralta stayed in the game and said his lower back tightened up.
"I was OK after that, the inning it was tight," Peralta said. "After that it loosened up, it was fine."
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