CHICAGO (AP) — It wasn’t a particularly good night Monday for Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad. But somehow, he kept the Milwaukee Brewers off the scoreboard, and his teammates did the rest.
Assad issued six walks and lasted just 3 1/3 innings in his second outing since returning from a right forearm strain, but he also allowed only one hit and kept the Brewers scoreless. Five Chicago relievers then managed to finish off a five-hitter, Ian Happ lined a solo homer, and the Cubs beat the first-place Brewers, 3-1, in the opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson each had two hits, as the Cubs escaped bases-loaded jams in both the third and fourth innings to end NL Central-leading Milwaukee’s three-game winning streak.
“Not enough strikes, clearly,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said of his pitching staff Monday night. “But you still look up, and they’ve got no runs. Too many walks for sure, but we survived.”
The Cubs improved to 49-53, nine games behind the Brewers. The teams play Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field, which will conclude their 13-game season series. The Brewers lead, 6-5, going into Tuesday’s game.
Smyly shines
Assad departed with one out in the fourth after issuing back-to-back walks, his fifth and sixth of the game.
Garrett Mitchell greeted Smyly with a sharp single to right, but lead runner Rhys Hoskins held at third, loading the bases with one out. Smyly then coaxed groundouts from Brice Turang and William Contreras, the first ending in a forceout of Hoskins at home, to escape the inning and keep the Cubs’ 1-0 lead intact.
Smyly then worked a perfect fifth to get the win and improve to 3-5. Including Smyly, five Cubs relievers combined for 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball. Hector Neris tossed the ninth, working around a one-out double by Mitchell, for his 14th save.
“Just super impressive,” Happ said. “Smyly comes out there, a big situation, and shuts it down. Then everybody after him did their job, executing pitches, filling up the strike zone, ahead in counts.”
Assad got into trouble in the third, as well, walking three straight with two outs to load the bases, but he got Sal Frelick to ground out to end the inning. Assad said through a translator that after issuing the first walk of the inning, to Contreras, “everything just sped up” on him.
After Assad escaped that jam, the Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third on Busch’s RBI single. The rookie also made several sharp plays at first base.
The Cubs made it 2-0 in the fourth when Mike Tauchman sprinted home from third on a wild pitch by Brewers rookie starter Tobias Myers. Happ lined his 16th homer into the basket in right in the sixth to give Chicago a 3-0 lead.
Willy Adames’ team-leading 16th home run, a drive to right-center off Porter Hodge, got the Brewers on the board in the eighth.
Mitchell had two hits, and Contreras and Joey Ortiz doubled for the Brewers, who failed to cash in on the six walks issued by Assad.
“We didn’t come up with the big hit,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We did a great job in some areas. I think our youth showed tonight.”
Myers (6-4) allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
“Tobias was fabulous,” Murphy said. “He threw the ball great, but … the wild pitch was an 0-2 pitch with the bases loaded, and then throwing the ball away at second, that accounted for two of the three runs.
“Then he gave up the home run (to Happ).”
Trainer’s room
Cubs: Activated RHP Julian Merryweather (right rib stress fracture) from the 60-day injured list and optioned RHP Hunter Bigge to Triple-A Iowa. Merryweather, out since April 6, had a 1.93 ERA in 4 2/3 innings over four relief appearances before being hurt. LHP Luke Little (left shoulder strain) was transferred to the 60-day IL. … Counsell said OF Cody Bellinger (left middle finger fracture) was making progress hitting and would return to fielding drills on Tuesday. The 2019 NL MVP was hit by a pitch at Baltimore on July 10.
Up next
Brewers RHP Colin Rea (9-3, 3.77 ERA) faces Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon (7-4, 3.10) on Tuesday night.
First pitch at Wrigley Field is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.