CHICAGO (AP) – Christian Yelich and Justin Smoak hit long home runs, the umpires stepped in before a yelling game between the teams got too serious and the Milwaukee Brewers went 8-3 on Saturday to the Chicago Cubs.
With no fans at Wrigley Field, players from both National League Central Division rivals could be heard yelling at each other from their shelters before the start of the fourth inning.
All-star receiver Willson Contreras seemed to bark louder from the warning lane in front of the Cubs’ shelter, and several players from both sides jumped to the ground near their banks. The umpires stepped in and calmed things down quickly before the players could cross the foul lines.
In an in-game interview during the Brewers broadcast, Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said empty stadiums can create a new dynamic on the field.
“I think this will be part of this season,” Counsell said. ” Both shelters can listen to each other and the referees can hear everything. There are conversations that happen in-game that you never hear with all the fans here. It’s just part of the game. ”
Brewers starter Corbin Burnes said the screech “was one of those things that built up from the first pitch.”
The Cubs’ manager, David Ross, agreed, without naming an instigator.
“I think if you’re in the shelter now in this environment, you’re going to expect some of that,” Ross said. That is going to provoke some intensity. I don’t know how it all started. ”
The same for Kyle Schwarber, who hit a two-run homer deep to the right. He says that players are aware of COVID-19 protocols that limit physical contact and could lead to suspension.
“Today was just one of the cases where both teams came and went,” Schwarber said. ”It is not a big thing. It’s just baseball.
“We are going to have to be careful with the new rules and not be able to get into each other,” he said.
Cubs star Javier Báez was hit by a pitch in the first and Milwaukee’s Omar Narvaez sank in the fourth and fifth.
A day after Kyle Hendricks shut them out on three hits, the Milwaukee bats broke loose against Yu Darvish and the Cubs’ bullpen on a warm, windy afternoon.
Smoak shot a great solo shot from the right-field marker in the fifth. Yelich drove a two-run blast into Wrigley’s batter’s eye on sixth field.
Ben Gamel hit a two-run triple for the Brewers.
“I thought all day our offense was really good,” Counsell said. “Against Darvish, we just made him work and we keep making him work.”
Contreras hit a single for Chicago.
Burnes lasted 3 1/3 innings and threw 75 pitches in his first start since April 2019 and just the fifth of his career. He allowed to run with two hits while striking out six.
Brent Suter (1-0) pitched 2 2/3 innings, giving up Schwarber’s home run.
Darvish (0-1) couldn’t keep up with a good finish in 2019, allowing three runs on six hits in four innings.
BROTHERS BEHIND THE PLATE
Contreras watched his younger brother, William, also a catcher, make his Major League Baseball debut with Atlanta on television on Friday night. William, 22, entered as a defensive replacement for the Braves in the eighth inning against the Mets. “It is more than special,” said Willson Contreras. ” I think he may be better than me. He has great talent, excellent tools. ”
DEBUT HOMETOWN
Jason Kipnis, from the suburbs of Northbrook, Illinois, made his Cubs debut from second base. The two-time All-Star with Cleveland signed a minor league contract with the Cubs in February, and then was added to the major league list on July 17.
COACH ROOM
Brewers: SS Luis Urias, who tested positive for coronavirus before summer camp, has been cleared to play. He reported reporting to the Brewers’ secondary camp in Appleton, Wisconsin. Urias was expected to compete with Orlando Arcia for the starting shortstop job after he was acquired from San Diego, but he underwent wrist surgery in the offseason and then had his COVID-19 backhand.
Cubs: Both 3B Kris Bryant and 1B Anthony Rizzo were in the starting lineup for the second day in a row, again batting in the lead for second place, after struggling with back problems in summer camp.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Brewers RHP Freddy Peralta faces Cubs RHP Tyler Chatwood in the series finale on Sunday afternoon. Peralta was 7-3 with a 5.29 ERA in 39 games (eight starts) in 2019. Chatwood was 5-3 with a 3.76 ERA in 38 games (five starts).
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