Cubs blank Brewers to force NLDS Game 5 thanks to power-pitching combo

Matthew Boyd pitched two-hit ball into the fifth inning, and the Chicago Cubs shut down the Milwaukee Brewers for a 6-0 victory Thursday night that pushed their NL Division Series all the way to a decisive Game 5.

Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker and Michael Busch homered for Chicago, delighting a rollicking Wrigley Field crowd of 41,770. Busch went deep for the second straight game and third time in the series.

“It’s cool that the brightest lights have brought the best out of a lot of our guys,” said Nico Hoerner, who had three of Chicago’s 10 hits.

The Cubs were on the brink of elimination after they dropped the first two games in Milwaukee. But they held on for a 4-3 victory Wednesday before making the most of a sharp performance by Boyd and four relievers in Game 4.

Next up is the finale of the best-of-five series back in Milwaukee on Saturday night. The winner takes on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

“We’ve got to regroup,” Brewers star Christian Yelich said. “We’ve got one more game to play. We’ve got to make sure we’re ready to go.”

The Brewers, who went 97-65 this season for the majors’ best record, finished with three hits. They were 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position and left 13 on base overall in the two games at Wrigley.

“They’re built to be great, and they played great these two games,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “Hopefully the tables will turn when we get into Game 5 at our place. But we have to find out how bad we’re going to fight back.”

Boyd also started the series opener Saturday. Pitching on three days’ rest, he recorded just two outs while Freddy Peralta worked into the sixth inning in Milwaukee’s 9-3 win.

Given another opportunity, Boyd delivered. The All-Star left-hander struck out six and walked three in 4 2/3 innings.

“The atmosphere was amazing tonight,” Boyd said. “We’ve got the best fans in baseball, and it was electric. We’ve been feeding off them since April, but tonight was another level, and that was super special.”

The 34-year-old Boyd was staked to an early lead when Happ drove a 1-1 fastball from Peralta deep to right for a three-run drive with two out in the first. Hoerner singled and Tucker walked ahead of Happ’s third career postseason homer.

Chicago has gone deep in the first in each of the four NLDS games. It has scored 11 of its 16 runs in the series in the first inning.

It was a big swing for Happ, who went 2 for 21 with 11 strikeouts in Chicago’s first six postseason games this year.

“The guys have been carrying me all postseason so to contribute in that moment and give us the lead was awesome for me,” Happ said.

Happ hit a solo drive off Peralta in Game 1, but he is 2 for 32 with 14 strikeouts against the right-hander in the regular season.

“For me, it wasn’t a mistake. It was a pitch we wanted, and he was just able to hit it really hard,” Peralta said.

The Cubs had a 3-0 lead when Boyd exited with runners on second and third in the fifth, drawing a huge ovation from the crowd. Daniel Palencia came in and retired Jackson Chourio on a popup to shortstop, ending the inning.

Palencia also worked the sixth in this third win of the playoffs. Drew Pomeranz and Brad Keller each got three outs before Caleb Thielbar handled the ninth.

“Just a really great group effort,” Hoerner said.

Chicago blew a bases-loaded opportunity in the fifth, but Matt Shaw hit an RBI single off Aaron Ashby in the sixth. The rookie third baseman had two hits after he went 0 for 12 in his first six postseason games.

Tucker added a leadoff drive in the seventh against Robert Gasser, and Busch connected in the eighth. It was Busch’s fourth homer in this postseason overall.

“We just made them uncomfortable,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We just made every pitch uncomfortable, and that’s what you’re supposed to do.”