Colin Rea pitched seven strong innings, Jackson Chourio and Willy Adames homered and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Monday.
Adames added a single and a sacrifice fly for Milwaukee in the opener of a three-game series. It was the start of a six-game homestand for the Brewers, who were coming off a 2-4 road trip. Milwaukee has won six straight home games.
The Brewers ended a run of five straight games without a homer. They hit multiple long balls for the first time in 11 games.
Alejandro Kirk hit a solo home run for the Blue Jays, who are 2-2 on a six-game trip. Spencer Horwitz had two of Toronto’s four hits.
Rea (5-2) allowed one run and three hits with four strikeouts and no walks in his longest start of the season.
Toronto’s Jose Berrios (5-5) gave up three runs, five hits and one walk while striking out four in 5 2/3 innings.
Kirk hit his second homer of the season, a blast to left with one out in the third inning.
The Brewers tied the game in the bottom of the third. Jake Bauers led off with a single, but Berrios picked him off first base before allowing Chourio’s seventh home run of the year, a line drive to left-center.
Adames hit a shot to left-center, his 10th of the season, with one out in the fourth.
Milwaukee added a run in the sixth. Brice Turang led off with a walk and took third on a single to right by William Contreras. After Christian Yelich struck out, Adames hit a sacrifice fly to left. Zach Pop replaced Berrios and ended the inning with a strikeout.
Rea retired the final seven batters he faced before being replaced by former Blue Jay Joel Payamps, who pitched a eighth inning with one strikeout.
Trevor Megill worked around a two-out single by Horwitz in the ninth inning to earn his 10th save of the season.