Observations: Cubs win as Contreras gets revenge over Brewers originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Cubs beat the Brewers 3-2 on Tuesday night thanks to some late Willson Contreras heroics, improving to 5-6 on the season.
Here’s 10 observations from the win.
1. The Cubs offense was scuffling yet again. Entering the eighth inning, they had just three hits on the night and were in danger of dropping their fourth straight game.
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Then, Willson Contreras crushed a Brent Suter fastball 438 feet, registering a 110.4 mph exit velocity, for a two-run home run to give the Cubs a 3-2 lead.
2. In the fourth inning, Brandon Woodruff hit Contreras on the left hand with a sinker. It marked the third time in five games this season the Brewers hit Contreras with a pitch and seventh time in his last 14 games against Milwaukee.
Contreras got his revenge four innings later.
3. Anthony Rizzo followed Contreras’ deep fly with a single, pushing the Cubs to six hits on the night. It's the fourth time this season they've tallied more than five hits in a game.
4. The Cubs didn’t get their first hit off Woodruff until the seventh inning in last Wednesday’s loss. Rizzo got them on the board much earlier on Tuesday, with a line drive single into right field.
5. Woodruff, who didn’t appear to intentionally hit Contreras, stepped to the box in the sixth inning and saw a first pitch sinker from Ryan Tepera sail behind his legs. Woodruff expressed his displeasure to the Cubs pitcher, but the moment ended with no incident.
Contreras patted Woodruff on the backside after a brief conversation.
6. The Cubs called on Alec Mills last minute for his first start of the season due to unforeseen circumstances. Kyle Hendricks, Tuesday’s probable starter, was not feeling well and was scratched moments before first pitch “out of an abundance of caution,” the club said.
7. Mills, who no-hit the Brewers in Milwaukee last September, gave up his first hit ever at American Family Field in the second inning. Luis Urías hit a two-run home run off him to left field.
8. Urías might be the newest Cubs killer. He went 1-for-1 Tuesday with three walks, a day after hitting a three-run double off Andrew Chafin that proved decisive in a 6-3 Brewers win. In 15 career games, he’s hitting .321 (17-for-53) against the North Siders.
9. Urías’ home run was Mills’ only blemish as he threw four solid innings on short notice. He allowed one other hit with no walks before David Bote pinch hit for him in the fifth.
10. Craig Kimbrel's early-season dominance continued with a four-out save, his second straight of more than three outs. He entered for a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth and needed one pitch to end the threat.
Kimbrel shut down Milwaukee in the ninth, striking out one.
Bonus: Pedro Strop made his first Cubs appearance since Sept. 28, 2019 and delivered a scoreless seventh inning. The right-hander, whose fastball velocity was down at the end of his first Cubs tenure, sat 92-94.
He still has his famous slider, striking out Daniel Robertston with it. He allowed a hit and a walk.
Strop was added to the roster Monday after three relievers hit the COVID-19 related IL.
Next up: The Cubs and Brewers finish off their three-game series on Wednesday. First pitch is 12:40 p.m. CT. Jake Arrieta (2-0 2.25 ERA) and Corbin Burnes (0-1, 0.73 ERA) are the probable starters.
