Brewers move into first place in division with 5-1 win over Royals

Box Score

A three-hit performance from Owen Miller and six shutout innings from Corbin Burnes propelled the Brewers to a 5-1 win over the Royals on Friday night.

The win moved the Brewers back into first place in the National League Central over the Pirates.

The Brewers took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Christian Yelich scored Willy Adames on an infield single.

Owen Miller expanded the lead to 2-0 in the third with a solo home run, his first as a Brewer.

Tyrone Taylor tacked on another run in the fourth with an RBI single that plated Brian Anderson.

The score held at 3-0 for a few innings while Corbin Burnes kept the Royals in check. While he was not especially efficient, walking four and requiring a season-high 104 pitches, Burnes allowed just two hits and struck out seven in six scoreless innings.

Burnes leaned heavily into his cutter, throwing it a season-high 65% of the time. He generated 10 of his 14 swings and misses with the cutter.

Joel Payamps took over in the seventh. The Royals cut into the deficit on a solo home run by Freddy Fermin to make it a 3-1 game.

The Brewers added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning.

A single, walk, and catcher’s interference loaded the bases for Yelich. He lined a soft single into shallow center field to drive in Miller. Anderson followed with a base hit of his own to right field, scoring William Contreras.

Peter Strzelecki and Elvis Peguero each threw scoreless innings to secure the 5-1 win.

The Brewers can secure a series win with another victory tomorrow. Adrian Houser will make his second start of the season against former Brewer Zack Greinke, who starts for the Royals. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. CT.