By MATT CARLSON, AP
CHICAGO (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 39th homer, Kevin Gausman threw seven sharp innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Thursday night.
The Cubs salvaged a split of a four-game series with the NL-Central leading Brewers and are eight games behind in the division standings. Milwaukee, which leads the season series 4-6, will host the Cubs for three games next week.
Gausman (9-11) allowed one run on five hits in his sixth start with the Cubs since they acquired the veteran right-hander from Toronto at the trade deadline. He struck out nine and walked one.
Brewers rookie Logan Henderson (9-3) yielded two runs on three hits in seven innings, striking out seven and walking none. The 24-year-old right-hander's three-game winning streak ended, even though he's allowed just five runs and has a 1.67 ERA over his last four starts.
Henderson retired 14 straight after Crow Armstrong’s two-run drive in the third inning put the Cubs ahead and moved the All-Star center fielder to one behind Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber for the major league home run lead. Crow-Armstrong golfed Henderson’s low changeup 413 feet to the basket in center field.
Milwaukee’s Andrew Vaughn hit a solo shot over the left-field bleachers in the fourth to end a 24-game home-run drought and cut it to 2-1. Vaughn's 420-foot drive came off a low, inside corner splitter and reached Waveland Avenue.
Ryan Zeferjahn pitched a scoreless eighth and Ryan Rolison tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save.
Crow-Armstrong was named NL Player of the Month for August, when he went deep 14 times, before the game.
Brewers: LHP Shane Drohan (7-5, 3.75 ERA) faces Reds RHP Rhett Lowder (6-8, 5.14) in Cincinnati on Friday night.
Cubs: LHP Shota Imanaga (8-10, 4.01) takes the mound against Marlins RHP Janson Junk (6-8, 4.11) at Miami on Friday night.
___
See AP’s full MLB coverage here