MILWAUKEE — Cubs leadoff hitter Michael Busch homering in the first inning of the National League Division Series on Saturday seemed like a good omen. It marked the third leadoff homer in franchise postseason history and the first since Dexter Fowler’s in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
But the Cubs’ day took a sharp downturn shortly after that initial boon, resulting in a 9-3 loss to the Brewers.
Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd gave up three straight doubles to open the bottom of the first to put the Cubs behind 2-1. Boyd got Christian Yelich to ground out to shortstop Dansby Swanson, but then he walked Andrew Vaughn.
With two runners on, Boyd induced Sal Frelick to hit a soft grounder to the right side of the infield, a routine play for Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner. But it bounced off the end of his glove, allowing Frelick to reach base and another run to score.
After Boyd struck out Caleb Durbin and surrendered an RBI single to Blake Perkins, manager Craig Counsell came out to boos from his former team’s fans and made the first of his three pitching changes.
Boyd became the first Cubs pitcher to make a postseason start of less than an inning since 1945 — when the postseason consisted of just one round, the World Series — and fourth all-time, according to MLB.com.
Right-hander Michael Soroka replaced Boyd, walked the first batter he faced and then gave up a two-run single to Jackson Chourio. That brought the Brewers’ first-inning rally to six runs, only two of which were earned.
It was already a trouncing, but the Brewers didn’t stop there. They tacked on another three runs in the second with five singles as they batted around again
Brewers starter Freddy Peralta threw 5 2/3 innings, holding the Cubs to two runs and matching a franchise postseason record with nine strikeouts.
The Cubs’ only other runs came on two more solo homers, courtesy of Ian Happ in the sixth and Hoerner in the eighth.