Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Starlin Castro belted a pair of solo home runs to back another strong start by Jason Hammel as the Chicago Cubs salvaged their three-game set in Milwaukee with a 4-0 victory over the Brewers.
Hammel (4-1) scattered three hits and two walks through seven innings and struck out seven for the Cubs, who snapped a four-game skid and handed Milwaukee its first weekend loss.
The Brewers were a combined 11-0 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays entering the series finale but could not get anything going with Ryan Braun and Jean Segura out of the lineup.
Braun suffered an intercostal strain on Saturday but not before accidentally hitting Segura in the head with a warmup swing in the dugout. The shortstop did not suffer a concussion but needed stitches to sew up a gash near his eye.
Without the heart of the order, the Brewers managed just three hits and saw Wily Peralta (3-1) suffer his first loss of the season.
Peralta lasted seven innings and was charged with eight hits and three runs -- the first coming on Castro's leadoff shot to straightaway center in the second inning.
The Cubs added another run in the frame on Darwin Barney's fielder's choice groundout to third. With the bases loaded and no outs, Aramis Ramirez tagged third for the force out, but his throw home got away from Jonathan Lucroy, allowing Nate Schierholtz to score.
Mike Olt tacked on a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the sixth and Castro snuck his second home run over the left-field wall off Brandon Kintzler in the eighth.
Hammel came into the game with a minuscule 0.69 WHIP and continued being stingy in Sunday's series finale.
The 31-year-old right-hander only yielded two baserunners through five innings, the first on an error and the other on a walk.
Carlos Gomez recorded Milwaukee's first hit with a double in the sixth inning and Scooter Gennett worked a walk before Hammel wiggled out of the jam by striking out Lucroy and retiring Ramirez on a harmless groundout.
Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon each threw a hitless inning in relief to complete Chicago's first shutout win of the season.
Game Notes
Hammel has allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his first five starts as a Cub. He improved to 4-0 in five lifetime starts against Milwaukee ... Castro's only other multi-home run game came earlier this month on April 8 against the Pirates.
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