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The Brewers tied for first place in the National Central League with a regular season game. MVP candidate Christian Yelich won two home runs to defeat the Tigers 6-5 on Saturday night and draw against the Cubs.
Yelich turned on a 0-1 pitch from southpaw Daniel Stumpf (1-5) and lined up in the second game on the right to break a 5-5 tie in the seventh inning. The left-handed slugger also scored a two-run homer in the third inning of the Brewers' sixth consecutive win.
The Brewers were already guaranteed to make their first playoff appearance since 2011, the last time they won the NL Central. They would prefer to win the division again, and the Cubs opened the door by losing to the cardinals earlier Saturday.
The Brewers could also have the best player in the National League.
Yelich has extended his streak of strikes to 10 games, from 2 to 3 and three in three. The batting leader of the Netherlands is also fighting for a triple crown, tied with Caravane leader Matt Carpenter, at 36. With 109 RBIs, Yelich is two-row from Javier Baez, Cubs.
The noisy fans of Miller Park chanted "MVP! MVP! After Yelich's shot to seventh. With a brief curtain call, he raised his helmet halfway up the steps.
Joakim Soria (3-1) won with a scoreless seventh. Jeremy Jeffress recovered his 15th place, standing in the ninth.
The Bull held the Tigers aimless in the last three innings after a few shaky moments in the middle of the match.
Dawel Lugo, number 7, scored a triple in the right turn to lead the sixth race. Pete Kozma, a .209 batter, then led to Lugo with a sacrificial volley on the left to equalize to 5.
But the Brewers bounced behind Yelich, as they did after coming back from a 3-0 third-third hole. Yelich slammed left after Lorenzo Cain, the batter in the lead, hit a simple infield to draw at 3-2.
The Brewers followed four straight strokes in a fourth-place three-point run with a double Erik Kratz double.
Niko Goodrum scored a single in the first point and a triple in the third to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
The Cubs lose to Cardinals 2-1, fall in first place and set a Sunday full of pressure »
Paul Sullivan: Column: The thrilling race of Cubs-Brewers in Central NL is good until the last drop »
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