Brandon Woodruff pitched another gem and the Milwaukee Brewers made the most of their two hits, hanging on to edge the Chicago Cubs 2-1 Tuesday night for their season-high seventh straight win.
A day after battering Chicago 14-4, the Brewers extended their NL Central lead to five games. The second-place Cubs lost their fifth in a row.
Chicago had not dropped a game when allowing two hits or fewer since a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers on Aug. 4, 2013.
Milwaukee managed to win with just an RBI double by Christian Yelich in the first inning and an RBI single by Jace Peterson in the fourth. Both runs were walked aboard by Zach Davies (5-5), making his first start against his former team.
Woodruff (7-3) allowed one run on four hits in six innings, striking out eight and nudging his ERA down from 1.89 to 1.87. In four starts against Chicago this season, he is 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA, allowing two earned runs in 25 innings.
Brent Suter and Jake Cousins pitched the seventh, Brad Boxberger worked the eighth and Josh Hader finished for his 20th save in 20 opportunities.
Hader allowed a one-out single to Joc Pederson and walked Willson Contreras, but then struck out Javier Baez got pinch-hitter Jose Lobaton on a bouncer to first.
Davies gave up two runs on two hits with three walks in four innings. Davies won 43 games in his five seasons with Milwaukee, including a 17-9 record in 2017, before being traded to San Diego following the 2019 season.
Davies said he felt no extra pressure in facing the Brewers for the first time.
Chicago tied it in the fourth when Baez tripled and Patrick Wisdom delivered a one-out double. Jason Heyward walked, but Woodruff struck out Sergio Alcantara and got Eric Sogard on a pop-out.
The Cubs loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh but failed to capitalize. Cousins relieved with a runner on first and two outs and walked Contreras and hit Baez with a pitch, but then struck out Ian Happ.
Chicago, which stranded 12, also had runners on first and second with one out in the eighth when Sogard lined into an inning-ending double play.
Kris Bryant, bothered by a sore right side sustained while diving for a ball over the weekend against the Dodgers, was not in the lineup. 1B Anthony Rizzo, who left Saturday's game against Los Angeles with a tight lower back, also was out, but is improving, Ross said.
Aaron Ashby has been called up to start the series finale on Wednesday. RHP Jake Arrieta (5-8, 5:32 ERA) starts for the Cubs.
