Cubs beat Brewers 6-4 in opener of split

Chicago edged Milwaukee 6-4 in the opener of a split doubleheader as Caissie homered and the Cubs leaned on their bullpen to hold a late lead.

Caissie First Major League Homer Lifts Cubs Past Brewers

CHICAGO AP Owen Caissie homered and drove in three runs, and the Chicago Cubs held off the Milwaukee Brewers for a 6-4 win in the opener of a split doubleheader on Tuesday. Willi Castro also went deep as Chicago won for the third time in four games. Four Cubs relievers combined for 3 2/3 innings of two-hit ball after Matthew Boyd left the game in the sixth. Chicago (71-54) pulled within eight games of NL Central-leading Milwaukee (79-46). The teams were originally scheduled for a doubleheader on Monday, but the second game was postponed by rain.

Christian Yelich homered for Milwaukee, and Sal Frelick had two hits and two RBIs. It was just the third loss for the Brewers in their last 21 games. Chicago built a 5-0 lead on a Caissie two-run single in the first and a Castro three-run shot in the third. It was Castro first homer since the July 31 trade with Minnesota. Milwaukee quickly started chipping away at the deficit. Yelich opened the fourth with his 26th homer, and Frelick singled home Brandon Lockridge in the fifth. Frelick added another RBI single in a two-run sixth. Caissie then gave the Cubs a boost with his first major league homer, a 381-foot drive to left-center off Shelby Miller that made it 6-4 in the bottom half of the sixth. The 23-year-old Caissie had prior big league hit in the series opener.

The Cubs are showing a clear willingness to lean on youth while getting steady relief work. Caissie continues to accelerate his impact, and a bullpen that can bridge to late innings helps stabilize every edge the offense creates. Milwaukee still holds a comfortable lead in the division, but this result underlines how a short, hard schedule like a split doubleheader can swing momentum across a two-game set. If Chicago can keep Caissie moving up in the lineup and sustain bullpen reliability, the mood around the club could shift from rebuilding to real pursuit.

Highlights

The next meeting between the teams will test if this momentum lasts for either side.