MILWAUKEE — Ace right-hander Freddy Peralta shook off a leadoff homer and pitched effectively into the sixth inning to pace the Milwaukee Brewers to a 9-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday in the opener of their best-of-five National League Division Series.
Cubs starter Matthew Boyd (0-1) failed to get out of a six-run Milwaukee first inning. The Brewers added three runs in the second, batting around in each inning to go in front 9-1.
Peralta (1-0), who led the National League with 17 victories during the regular season, allowed two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out nine and walking three in a 95-pitch outing. He allowed the opening homer by Michael Busch and a two-out solo homer in the sixth by Ian Happ.
Nico Hoerner’s solo homer for Chicago in the eighth off Jared Koenig made the score 9-3.
Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, who missed most of August with a strained right hamstring, was removed for a pinch runner after legging out an infield single in the second inning. Chourio had right hamstring tightness and was scheduled for additional evaluation Saturday, the club announced.
The Brewers answered Busch’s homer with six runs off Boyd in the bottom of the first. Chourio, Brice Turang and William Contreras opened with consecutive doubles to put Milwaukee up 2-1. Andrew Vaughn walked, and Contreras scored when second baseman Hoerner booted Sal Frelick’s grounder. Blake Perkins capped an 11-pitch at-bat with an RBI single to center, chasing Boyd after 30 pitches, to make the score 4-1.
Michael Soroka relieved and walked Joey Ortiz to load the bases. Chourio followed with a two-run single to left to make it 6-1, with the final four runs unearned.
Milwaukee made the score 9-1 in the second. Contreras, Yelich and Vaughn opened with consecutive singles to load the bases. Caleb Durbin drove in two runs with a one-out single to make it 8-1. Aaron Civale relieved, and Chourio beat out an infield RBI single to third.
Boyd allowed six runs (two earned) on four hits, getting just two outs. Soroka allowed three runs on five hits in one inning, walking two in a 38-pitch outing.
The second game of the serires will be in Milwaukee on Monday night.
