The Cubs lost to the Brewers 4-3 on Saturday at Wrigley Field, dropping to 10-10 on the season.
Here’s 10 observations from the game.
1. Nico Hoerner’s been back in the big leagues for three days and has played three different positions already. He started at shortstop Saturday as Cubs manager David Ross gave Javy Báez a day off.
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Ross praised Hoerner’s versatility Friday after he started at second base and moved to left field.
2. But Hoerner’s value has extended beyond his glove this week. The 23-year-old put the Cubs on the board Saturday with a two-run double in the second inning, and he finished the day 1-for-2 with two walks. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles Friday.
3. After a dominant first four innings, Adbert Alzolay ran into trouble in the fifth inning before getting pulled. He allowed a leadoff double and, after getting two outs, walked Simeon alum Corey Ray, who was making his MLB debut.
4. Ross called on southpaw Rex Brothers with two lefties coming up and the move didn’t work out. Brothers walked a pair, one with the bases loaded, and hit another batter, also with the bases loaded, to make it a 2-2 game.
MLB
5. Milwaukee had some good takes against Brothers, but those were bad walks with Brothers facing two lefties. Similarly, Alzolay’s walk brought the top of the order up, and he had Ray down 0-2.
6. There was a lot more good than bad to take from Alzolay’s outing. At one point, he retired 12 straight batters. He allowed two hits and two walks, striking out seven. The two earned runs charged to him came with Brothers on the mound.
7. The Cubs followed Friday's offensive explosion with a three-run output. They had their chances, with eight hits, but struggled with runners in scoring position (1-for-8).
8. Ross was ejected in the ninth inning for arguing a strike call. Home plate umpire Cory Blaser called a Josh Hader fastball to Jake Marisnick a strike despite the pitch being up out of the zone.
The Cubs, including Marisnick, went down 1-2-3 after, following Nico Hoerner's leadoff walk to start the inning.
9. Kris Bryant kept his hitting streak alive with a 1-for-4 performance, extending it to seven games. Bryant has raised his batting average from .220 to .309 along the way.
10. The Cubs may be glad not to see the Brewers again until June. Starter Freddy Peralta struck out seven in four innings Saturday, giving him 25 punchouts in 15 innings vs. the Cubs this season (three starts).
Next up: The Brewers and Cubs wrap up their three-game set on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 1.96 ERA) and Jake Arrieta (3-1, 2.86 ERA) are the probable starters.