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CHICAGO -- The Milwaukee Brewers jumped on two Chicago pitchers in a seven-run third inning and never looked back on the way to an 11-2 victory over the Cubs on Thursday. Milwaukee (48-40) opened a 4 1/2-game lead over the Cubs (42-43) in the National League Central with the win.
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Thursday's standalone game was rescheduled from an May 20 Wrigley Field rainout.
Brewers starter Zach Davies worked six innings and improved to 10-4 with his third straight victory and fifth in his last seven starts.
Cubs left-hander Mike Montgomery (1-6) suffered the loss in a 2 1/3-inning start, his shortest of the season.
Domingo Santana went 4-for-5, Jesus Aguilar was 3-for-5 while Hernan Perez added two hits to lead a 13-hit Milwaukee attack.
The Brewers jumped to a first-inning 1-0 lead when Jonathan Villar drew a walk on four pitches and Santana drilled a 1-1 pitch into the left-field corner for a run-scoring double.
Santana reached third on Ryan Braun's fielder's choice groundout and came home for a 2-0 lead on Perez's two-out single up the middle.
Braun made it 4-0 in the third with his one-out home run to center, which also brought home Santana. After back-to-back singles by Aguilar and Perez, Manny Pina followed with a one-out base hit to drive in Aguilar for a 5-0 lead.
That was it for Montgomery, who left with two runners on and one out. He was ultimately charged with seven earned runs on six hits while striking out four and walking two over 2 1/3 innings.
Cubs left-handed reliever Jack Leathersich walked Keon Broxton to load the bases and then issued back-to-back four-pitch bases on balls to Orlando Arcia and Davies to score Perez and Pina for a 7-0 lead. Villar's sacrifice fly to left brought Broxton home from third for an 8-0 lead.
Santana's two-out double to right drove in Arcia to make it 9-0. The seven-run inning was the most allowed by the Cubs this season.
The Cubs loaded the bases with none out in the third but managed just one run as Kris Bryant's fielder's choice grounder scored Javier Baez. Willson Contreras hit his 11th home run of the season with one out in the fourth to make it 9-2.
Milwaukee's 10th run came in the fifth on a double steal and Contreras' throwing error as Villar took third and scored. Santana reached third on the error and made it an 11-2 game on Aguilar's single to center.
Davies allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out three in his third straight six-inning effort.
Cubs outfielder Jon Jay pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing one hit.
NOTES: Milwaukee 2B Eric Sogard was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday with a strained left ankle suffered last week while running the bases in Cincinnati. ... INF Yadiel Rivera was recalled Thursday from Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he had a .231 average with four home runs and 33 RBIs in 68 games. ... The Brewers travel to New York for a three-game weekend series with Yankees, sending RHP Junior Guerra (1-3, 4.93 ERA) against LHP Jordan Montgomery (6-4, 3.62 ERA) in Friday's opener. ... The Cubs remain home for a three-game series with the Pirates, sending RHP Eddie Butler (4-3, 4.18 ERA) against Pittsburgh RHP Trevor Williams (3-3, 4.67 ERA). ... Along with calling up OF Kyle Schwarber from Triple-A Iowa, on Thursday, the Cubs also put RHP John Lackey on the 10-day disabled list with plantar fasciitis of the right foot. ... Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks (right hand tendinitis) has been out 26 games while LHP Brett Anderson (low back strain) has missed 54.
