Fast start propels Brewers to 9-3 victory over Cubs in NLDS opener

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio sparked Milwaukee's fast start at the plate, and Freddy Peralta delivered a steady performance on the mound.

The Brewers looked more than ready for October.

Chourio capped Milwaukee's six-run first inning with a two-run single, and the Brewers trounced the Chicago Cubs 9-3 on Saturday in Game 1 of their NL Division Series.

Hoping for a breakthrough after years of playoff frustration, Milwaukee showed off the same approach that helped the team roll to baseball's best record during the regular season. The Brewers ranked third in the majors in scoring this year despite finishing just 22nd in homers.

It was more of the same in the team's postseason opener. The NL Central champions had 13 hits and no home runs, while three solo drives accounted for Chicago's offense.

“The home runs are so important these days, (but) this is scrapping hits together, keeping the line moving, all the cliches that you can think of,” said Blake Perkins, who had two hits for the Brewers.

“It’s fun to be a part of, and I think we all build off of each other. I’m kind of sitting there, too, (thinking), like, 'Dang, how are we doing this?′ sometimes. It’s a cool feeling, and it’s really fun to be a part of.”

The only issue for the Brewers on Saturday was Chourio's right hamstring tightness. He departed in the second after becoming the first player with three hits in the first two innings of a playoff game.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is on Monday night.

Chourio, who missed a month of the regular season with a strained right hamstring, underwent an MRI after the victory. Manager Pat Murphy said the injury “could be devastating,” while Chourio sounded much more optimistic.

“Physically I feel good, and I feel in a position where I’m ready to keep going and keep competing,” he said through an interpreter.

Staked to an early lead, Peralta permitted two runs in 5 2/3 innings. His nine strikeouts tied Don Sutton, Yovani Gallardo and Brandon Woodruff for the Brewers’ single-game playoff record.

Michael Busch, Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner homered for Chicago.

Brewers-Cubs games in Milwaukee generally have divided crowds because of all the people who make the 90-mile trip from Chicago, but that wasn’t the case Saturday. The vast majority of spectators were Brewers fans waving yellow towels and booing Cubs manager Craig Counsell.

“It didn’t seem 50/50, for sure,” Murphy said. “It felt like a home game. It definitely felt like a home game. They were difference makers.”

Counsell, who grew up in the Milwaukee area, is the winningest manager in Brewers history, but he left for Chicago after the 2023 season. He has been jeered whenever his name has been mentioned over the American Family Field loudspeaker since he departed.

Counsell’s decision to start Matthew Boyd on short rest didn’t work out. The All-Star left-hander was lifted with two out in the first.

The Brewers scored four runs or fewer in their last nine regular-season games. They had gone 2-11 in their last 13 playoff games, scoring over four runs in just one of those contests and failing to exceed five runs in any of them.

This time, they had six runs by the end of the first, matching their highest scoring playoff inning in franchise history.

After Busch opened the game with a 389-foot drive over the wall in right-center, Chourio, Brice Turang and William Contreras started the bottom half of the first with consecutive doubles.

“I made a few mistakes early," Boyd said. "A little too much plate to Turang and Contreras. It ends up being the difference in the game right there.”

Contreras scored from second when Hoerner mishandled a slow grounder from Sal Frelick. Perkins capped an 11-pitch at bat with a two-out RBI single to center.

Michael Soroka walked Joey Ortiz to load the bases and allowed a two-run single to Chourio.

“Bottom line, they had really good at-bats,” Counsell said. “They hit balls hard. They spoiled pitches. The Perkins at-bat was just a great at-bat. You’ve got to give him credit for that.”

Boyd had only three days of rest after throwing 58 pitches in the Cubs’ 3-1 Wild Card Series Game 1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.

Milwaukee added three more runs in the second. Caleb Durbin delivered a two-run single before Chourio’s infield hit made it 9-1.

Chicago’s Aaron Civale, who started the season with Milwaukee, and Ben Brown combined for 6 1/3 innings of shutout relief.

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