Brewers shut out by Cubs 9-0

Box Score

It’s a rough start to the season for the Brewers. In a cold, windy day in Chicago, the offense was also cold. They managed just four hits as the Cubs got to Brandon Woodruff, and the Cubs took a 9-0 win this afternoon.

It was not a good first start for Brandon Woodruff. His control was off at the start, as he allowed four straight baserunners. Three of those came from walks, and one on a hit by pitch, which scored the first Cubs run. He only threw five strikes in his first seventeen. The Cubs then got two more runs on productive outs, and they had a 3-0 lead after one inning. Woodruff settled down in the second, but allowed three singles in the third to score another run. The fourth wasn’t any better with two hits and a walk, and Woodruff left the game after 3.2 innings pitched.

Jose Ureña’s control was off as well, starting with three straight walks and a wild pitch for two more Cubs runs. Twelve of his first thirteen pitches were out of the strike zone. He finally got a fly out to end the inning. All of the runs were charged to Woodruff, as he allowed seven total in the game. In the bullpen, Jandel Gustave allowed two runs in an inning of work, and Trevor Gott and Hoby Milner pitched scoreless innings.

Meanwhile, the Brewers offense just could not get going today. They managed just four hits and three walks in the game. Their best chance to score was in the fourth, when they had two runners on with no outs. However, a groundout and two strikeouts ended that threat. Christian Yelich was the only Brewer to reach base multiple times, with a hit and a walk in the game.

Tempers were also high as this game went on. A total of five batters were hit in the game, two on the Brewers side and three on the Cubs side. Ian Happ did leave the game after taking a pitch to the knee, but x-rays came back negative. In the eighth, Cubs pitcher Keegan Thompson intentionally threw two pitches at Andrew McCutchen, with the second hitting him. This led to the benches clearing and Thompson getting ejected. We can expect to see warnings issued before tomorrow’s game.

The Brewers will try to avoid the series sweep tomorrow. Freddy Peralta faces Marcus Stroman in the finale of the series. First pitch is at 1:20 PM.