Yelich homers twice, Brewers blank Dodgers

MILWAUKEE — Christian Yelich hit two home runs, pushing his major league-leading total to 13, and Chase Anderson pitched five shutout innings in a spot start as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 Saturday.

Ryan Braun added a three-run homer for the Brewers, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Brewers, who ended the Dodgers’ six-game winning streak, got on the board in the third when Yelich hit a solo homer with two out off Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-1). With the homer, Yelich broke the franchise record for home runs in March and April, set by Eric Thames in 2017.

Yelich ripped Ryu’s first pitch of the sixth into the right-field seats to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead. His 13 homers in the first month of the season matched the franchise record for home runs in single month, set by Prince Fielder in May 2007.

Anderson got the call to fill the rotation spot of Freddy Peralta, who is out with a right shoulder injury. He allowed just one hit, a single to Joc Pederson to lead off the game. Anderson (2-0) retired 15 of the next 17 batters before being lifted for a pinch hitter. He walked two batters and struck out five.

Alex Claudio, Junior Guerra and Matt Albers combined to pitch four shutout innings of relief.

Braun’s homer in the seventh off Caleb Ferguson came after Lorenzo Cain‘s two-out double and an intentional walk to Yelich.

Ryu, who had been dealing with a strained left groin, was activated from the 10-day injured list to start on Saturday. He gave up six hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings while walking one and striking out nine.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: Plans to have LHP Rich Hill (left knee MCL strain) make a rehab start on Monday at either Triple-A Oklahoma City or Double-A Tulsa have been scrapped due to forecasted bad weather. Instead, Hill will pitch at extended spring training in Arizona on Monday.

Brewers: 3B Mike Moustakas left the game in the seventh inning with right-hand discomfort. . RHP Jimmy Nelson (right shoulder) will pitch Monday at extended spring training in Arizona. . Peralta reported no problems after a throwing session on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 2.57 ERA) will make his second start of the season after opening on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. Kershaw is 6-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 14 career regular season starts against the Brewers.

Brewers: RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-1, 5.23) will make his fifth start of the season and first against the Dodgers in the finale of the four-game series. He doesn’t have a quality start, and opponents are hitting .280 against him. He made three relief appearances against Los Angeles in last year’s NLCS.