Christopher Morel homered for the third straight game to help the host Chicago Cubs pick up a 6-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon.
Morel clubbed a two-run shot in the bottom of the third to push Chicago’s advantage to 4-0. Patrick Wisdom added a solo shot in the sixth as the Cubs evened the three-game series at one win apiece.
Wisdom also gave Chicago some crucial insurance with an RBI single in the eighth.
The long balls provided more than enough run support for Cubs starter Jameson Taillon (3-0), who allowed two hits and two walks across six scoreless innings. Taillon struck out seven.
Blake Perkins smacked a two-run homer as part of a four-run seventh for the Brewers, who saw an attempt at a late-game comeback come up just short.
Trailing 5-0, Milwaukee got to reliever Keegan Thompson in the seventh, pulling within 5-3 on Oliver Dunn’s RBI triple and Perkins’ home run. Jackson Chourio then singled, knocking Thompson from the game in favor of Mark Leiter Jr., who was greeted by Sal Frelick’s run-scoring double. But Leiter set down the next three batters in order to prevent the Brewers from tying things at 5.
Leiter proceeded to work a 1-2-3 eighth, and Hector Neris notched his sixth save despite a rocky ninth.
William Contreras ripped an RBI single off Neris, who escaped trouble by stranding the tying and go-ahead runs on base.
Chicago wasted no time getting to Milwaukee starter Tobias Myers (0-2).
Nico Hoerner opened the home half of the first with a homer, and Michael Busch later plated another run with a fielder’s choice grounder.
Myers walked four and threw 37 pitches in the inning, but the Cubs had to settle for the 2-0 edge after Wisdom and Pete Crow-Armstrong both struck out with the bases loaded to end the frame.
Because of the lengthy first, Myers lasted just three innings, giving up four runs and three hits. He walked four and fanned two.