MILWAUKEE — Patrick Wisdom’s fifth-inning solo home run off Corbin Burnes gave Marcus Stroman all the support he needed Sunday on his 31st birthday, and the Chicago Cubs starter dominated over seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers before 35,137 at American Family Field.
Stroman allowed two hits over seven innings, retiring the last 14 batters he faced as the Cubs avoided a sweep and won for only the third time in their last 12 games.
Burnes, who retired the first 13 batters he faced before Wisdom’s homer, struck out 10 in seven innings, allowing four hits and a walk.
The Cubs barely made contact off Burnes until Wisdom came to the plate with one out in the fifth. They had 15 swing-and-misses and looked at 10 called strikes while putting only six balls in plays. But Wisdom hit an arching home run on a 96-mph sinker, and suddenly the momentum shifted with one pitch.
The Cubs added another run in the sixth on a two-out infield hit against the shift by Alfonso Rivas and an RBI double on an 0-2 curve by Seiya Suzuki.
Reliever David Roberston replaced Rowan Wick with the tying runs on and two out in the eighth and struck out Jace Peterson on a knuckle-curve to get out of the inning. Robertson returned to throw a scoreless ninth for his fifth save in five opportunities.
After an off day Monday, the Cubs meet the White Sox for a two-game series at Wrigley Field.
