MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WSAU) -- The Milwaukee Brewers followed up a tough late-night loss with a solid performance less than twelve hours later, defeating the Chicago Cubs 5-3 Thursday.
Junior Guerra pitched seven innings for the Brew Crew, striking out 11 Cubs batters and notching his best major league start so far.
Chicago fans were at Miller Park in force to watch their Major League Baseball leading Cubs jump out front early in the first inning with a Dexter Fowler home run. Jorge Soler scored Miguel Montero with an RBI single in the second inning. Milwaukee put it's first run across the plate in the bottom of the second. Kirk Nieuwenhuis singled, and then took second with a walk and third on a Cub's throwing error. He scored on a wild pitch from Jason Hammel.
Chris Carter's leadoff home run in the fourth inning tied the game at 2-2. Then, Nieuwenhuis hit one to the second deck in right field, pushing Scooter Gennett home ahead of him for a 4-2 Brewers lead.
Montero scored in the seventh inning on a wild pitch, bringing the score to 4-3, but the Brewers put up an insurance run in the eighth inning as Nieuwenhuis' sacrifice fly ball scored Gennett.
Closer Jeremy Jeffress tossed 20 pitches in the late Wednesday thirteen inning loss, so Tyler Thornburg pitched the ninth for his first save. The Brewers also gave Jonathon Lucroy a day off and played without Ryan Braun and Domingo Santana, who are nursing back and shoulder injuries.
The Brewers play again Friday as they start a three game series in New York against the Mets. Radio pre-game activities begin at 5:35 p.m.