Happ's Three-Run Blast Breaks MIL Open, Cubs Roll 8-2

Ian Happ's 381-foot home run to right in the sixth inning swung Milwaukee's win probability from 44% to 12%, turning a tied game into a rout. Chicago sent three home runs to right field and one to right-center on the way to an 8-2 final.

Milwaukee looked like it had the early edge. Jackson Chourio put the Brewers on the board first with a 411-foot shot to center in the first, and when Sal Frelick singled to left to score Perkins in the fifth, the game was knotted at 2-2. Kyle Harrison was doing his part — 9 strikeouts over 5.0 innings, allowing just 3 hits and 2 earned runs — but the Cubs had other ideas once they got to the sixth.

That's when the game cracked open. Nico Hoerner singled to right to score Bregman and put runners at second and third. Then Happ stepped in and hit a 381-foot home run to right, scoring Busch and Hoerner with it. One swing, three runs, and Milwaukee's win probability cratered from 44% to 12%. The Brewers never recovered. Bregman added a sacrifice fly to left in the seventh to score Shaw, and Michael Conforto put an exclamation point on it with a 401-foot solo shot to right-center in the ninth. Final: 8-2, Cubs.

The story of the night, beyond Happ's decisive blow, appears to be Chicago's depth at the plate. Seiya Suzuki went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer to right in the fourth that first gave the Cubs the lead, and Hoerner went 2-for-4 with an RBI. David Peterson worked 5.2 innings, allowing 2 earned runs without issuing a walk, and Jacob Webb followed with a clean inning of relief — 2 strikeouts, no hits, no runs. It's worth noting that the Cubs have been dealing with injury concerns in their rotation; Edward Cabrera suffered a left hamstring/adductor strain earlier this week. That context makes a clean, wire-to-wire bullpen performance look even more valuable. Milwaukee, meanwhile, looks like a team running short on answers — the Brewers' release of Luis Rengifo earlier this week signals a roster in flux, and a 6-run sixth inning at home is not the kind of performance that steadies a ship.