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Soto powers Cubs to win over Brewers

Sep 20, 2011 - 5:42 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Geovany Soto finished 3-for-3 with a pair of homers and drove in all five runs as the Chicago Cubs downed Milwaukee, 5-2, in the opener of a three-game series.

Casey Coleman (3-8) turned in six solid innings, allowing two hits and one run while fanning eight and walking three for the Cubs, who have won three of their last four.

"When you strike out a lot of guys it showing you're getting ahead, throwing strikes with all your pitches," Coleman said. "

Jerry Hairston and Casey McGehee added a solo homer each for the Brewers, whose three-game win streak was halted.

Milwaukee's lead over St. Louis in the NL Central was reduced to 5 1/2 games after the Cards beat the Phillies earlier Monday, and its magic number to clinch the division remained at four.

"There's no pressure on us," Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder said. "If we just keeping baseball like we've been playing, we should be fine. There's no pressure on us because we're in the driver's seat."

Chris Narveson (10-8) lasted just four full frames, charged in the loss with four hits and three runs -- two earned -- with three walks.

Milwaukee fought until the end, picking up three straight one-out hits against Cubs closer Carlos Marmol -- the first of which was McGehee's 13th homer of the season.

After singles from pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay and Jonathan Lucroy, the embattled reliever regained focus, fanning pinch-hitter Taylor Green and Corey Hart to end the game.

Hairston's leadoff shot in the third put the Brewers on the board, but the Cubs responded with two in the home half thanks to a Carlos Pena leadoff walk followed by a Soto two-run homer.

Marlon Byrd reached with one out in the fourth when Narveson failed to field his grounder. Pena walked and Soto made it 3-1 for Chicago on an RBI single.

Soto struck again in the home sixth with a two-run blast to left. The homer came three batters after Alfonso Soriano worked a leadoff walk.

Game Notes

Soto, who posted his third career multi-homer game, came up two short of a career-high in RBI (7), accomplished on August 26, 2008 at Pittsburgh...Despite the loss, Milwaukee has taken nine of 14 from the Cubs this season...Prior to the game, the Cubs selected the contract of catcher Steve Clevenger and recalled pitcher Rafael Dolis from Double-A Tennessee...Chicago also announced that reliever Kerry Wood will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus once the season is over.