Chad Patrick pitched effectively into the fifth inning and Brice Turang doubled twice to pace the Milwaukee Brewers past the visiting Chicago White Sox 6-1 on Saturday night for their second consecutive victory.
Aaron Ashby (1-0) got the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Patrick allowed one run on five hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking one. Angel Zerpa, Abner Uribe and DL Hall finished with a scoreless inning apiece.
Munetaka Murakami, who played the previous eight seasons in his native Japan before signing with Chicago, homered for the second consecutive game, a 409-foot leadoff shot in the fourth inning off Patrick to pull the White Sox within 4-1.
The Brewers, who routed Chicago 14-2 in the opener Thursday, jumped on Sean Burke (0-1) for three runs in the first. Turang doubled to open, advanced on a comebacker to the mound, and scored on Christian Yelich’s single. Jake Bauers singled Yelich to third and took second on the throw. Garrett Mitchell followed with a two-run single up the middle.
Milwaukee added an unearned run in the second when Turang blooped a two-out double inside the left field line and William Contreras walked. Yelich singled on an infield dribbler and Turang continued home on Burke’s errant throw to first.
The Brewers made it 5-1 in the sixth when David Hamilton walked with one out, stole second and scored on Brandon Lockridge’s single.
The White Sox missed an opportunity in the seventh when Colson Montgomery tried to score from first on Austin Hays’ double to left, but was thrown out at home on a perfect relay from shortstop Joey Ortiz to end the inning.
Mitchell hustled up an insurance run in the bottom half when he singled with one out, stole second, and scored on Ortiz’s single.
Burke allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits in four innings, striking out five and walking one.
