Brewers’ Explosive Offense Shocks Cubs in NLDS Opener, Setting Stage for Intense Series Showdown

Saturday night’s showdown between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs was anything but ordinary — the top seed in the National League roared out of the gate and absolutely dominated. Even though Cubs’ Michael Busch got things started with a quick solo homer, Milwaukee wasn’t having any of it. By the end of the first inning, they’d already carved out a commanding 6-1 lead, powered by a flurry of clutch doubles and singles, ratcheting that advantage to an unassailable 9-1 by the second. You could almost feel the momentum shift as Freddy Peralta took the mound, delivering an electrifying performance with nine strikeouts over nearly six innings, barely allowing Chicago’s bats to find their rhythm. Their offensive fireworks didn’t stop there either — 13 hits and eight RBIs on the night paint a picture of a Brewers squad firing on all cylinders, even while left fielder Jackson Chourio was pulled early due to that nagging hamstring issue. The Cubs tried to claw back with home runs from Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner, but by then, the game was already slipping through their fingers. It’s the kind of game that sets an intense tone for the series — and I, for one, can’t wait for Game 2 Monday night. LEARN MORE

The No. 1 seed in the National League sure looked like it Saturday, with the Milwaukee Brewers crushing the Chicago Cubs 9-3 behind a red-hot first and second inning.

Although Cubs first baseman Michael Busch led off the game with a solo homer, it didn’t take long for the Brewers to build an insurmountable lead. They raced to a 6-1 score after the first inning, thanks to five RBI doubles and singles, and expanded that lead to 9-1 in the second.

[Get more Milwaukee news: Brewers team feed]

Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner added solo home runs of their own in the sixth and eighth innings, but it was far too little, too late for the Cubs to undo the damage of Milwaukee’s opening two frames. It didn’t help Chicago that Brewers starter Freddy Peralta had a stellar game in his own right, with nine strikeouts and just four hits allowed in 5 2/3 innings.

Milwaukee finished the game with a whopping 13 hits and eight RBI. Three of those hits and RBI came off the bat of left fielder Jackson Chourio, who was pulled from the game after the second inning due to hamstring tightness.

“It’s the same hamstring and so we’re worried about it,” manager Pat Murphy told the TBS broadcast during the game.

Churio’s forecast was a little rosier, telling reporters postgame through an interpreter, “Physically, I feel good.”

Game 2 for Chicago and Milwaukee begins at 9:08 p.m. ET Monday.