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Baseball: Brewers, Cubs win

AP Photo Chicago’s Yu Darvish works against a San Diego Padres batter during the second inning Thursday in San Diego. Darvish struck out a season-high 14 and allowed only two hits in six innings and the Cubs beat the Padres 4-1 on Thursday to remain tied with Milwaukee for the NL's second wild card. The Padres scored in the ninth when Manny Machado was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs, but Rowan Wick struck out Luis Urias to end it. Chicago split the four-game series and won for just the second time in seven games.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – The Milwaukee Brewers (78-68, third in the NL Central) take on the St. Louis Cardinals (82-64, first in the NL Central) in a three-game series starting tonight. Milwaukee enters the matchup as winners of their last seven games.

The Cardinals are 40-26 against NL Central opponents. The St. Louis pitching staff owns a team ERA of 3.82, Jack Flaherty leads the staff with a mark of 2.99.

The Brewers are 37-30 in division matchups. Milwaukee has hit 228 home runs this season, seventh in the National League.

In Miami Thursday afternoon, Ryan Braun honored injured teammate Christian Yelich the past two days by wearing his No. 22 jersey underneath his own.

Braun then put on a Yelich-like performance Thursday, hitting a two-run homer that helped the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 to complete a four-game sweep that extended their winning streak to seven.

“I threw up the double deuces for him,” Braun said of his message to Yelich as he crossed home plate. “He texted me, “It’s about time you hit a homer.’ Forty-fifth homer hit in this jersey this year.”

Milwaukee matched its longest winning streak of the season to remain tied with the Chicago Cubs for the second NL wild card. At 78-68, the Brewers are 10 games over .500 for the first time since mid-June.

“What’s within our picture is keep playing well,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “The other stuff doesn’t matter right now. Keep playing like the past week we’re going to put ourselves in a good spot.”

The Brewers said before the game that Yelich won’t need surgery, but is done for the year.

Braun, bothered by a bad back for much of the season, broke a 1-all tie in the third with a two-run homer off Caleb Smith (8-10).

It was Braun’s 19th home run this season and the first of his career at Marlins Park.

Gio Gonzalez and four relievers retired Miami’s final 18 batters after Lewis Brinson’s RBI single in the fourth.

Gio Gonzalez allowed two runs and seven hits in four innings. He is 0-2 in 12 starts since May 15.

Freddy Peralta (6-3) struck out three in two innings, and Josh Hader fanned two batters for his 31st save in 37 chances.

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