Taillon and Busch star as Cubs beat Brewers for doubleheader sweep
Jameson Taillon pitched six effective innings in his return from a calf injury, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 on Tuesday night for a sweep of their split doubleheader.
Michael Busch drove in two runs as Chicago improved to 4-2 on an eight-game homestand. Ian Happ had two hits, and Owen Caissie contributed a bloop RBI single.
Coupled with their 6-4 win in the first game of the day, the Cubs (72-54) moved within seven games of the NL Central-leading Brewers (79-47).
Andrew Vaughn's first-inning RBI single accounted for Milwaukee's only run in the second game. Sal Frelick nearly had a sacrifice fly in the seventh, but right fielder Willi Castro made a perfect throw to the plate to complete an inning-ending double play.
Milwaukee right-hander Brandon Woodruff (4-1) permitted three runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings in his eighth start of the season.
Busch drove in Caissie with a second-inning double, lifting Chicago to a 2-1 lead. Nico Hoerner added an RBI single in the fifth.
Matt Shaw raced his way to a valuable insurance run in the sixth. He hit a one-out triple and scored with a headfirst slide when Gold Glove second baseman Brice Turang threw home on Busch's grounder.
Taillon (8-6) allowed five hits in his first big league start since June 29. He had been sidelined by a right calf strain.
Andrew Kittredge pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save.
Milwaukee finished the game without shortstop Joey Ortiz, who departed in the seventh with a bruised knee. Manager Pat Murphy said Ortiz also had some stomach issues and likely won't play on Wednesday.
Key moment
Castro's throw home in the seventh sent a charge through the crowd of 34,540 at Wrigley Field.
Key stat
The Brewers dropped to 55-15 when they score first.
Up next
Jacob Misiorowski (4-1, 3.89 ERA) pitches for Milwaukee on Wednesday night, and fellow right-hander Colin Rea (9-5, 3.99 ERA) starts for Chicago. Misiorowski is 1-1 with a 6.27 ERA in his last five outings.