Chicago Cubs outslug Milwaukee Brewers in a 17-3 blowout win to cap National League record home run month

Alex Bregman started August without a three-home-run game in his baseball career.

Amid a scorching stretch, Bregman ends the month with his lifetime total now sitting at two. He slugged his second three-home-run game within the last three weeks on Monday night, his latest capping a high-powered August for the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs slugged a franchise record nine home runs in a 17-3 blowout win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field, putting an exclamation point on a stellar month of power production. They finished August with 62 home runs, second in MLB history dating to 1898 behind only the 2019 New York Yankees (74 in April) — and a new National League record for the most home runs in a calendar month.

Bregman is one of four Cubs to record multiple three-home-run games in a season, joining Aramis Ramírez (two in 2004), Sammy Sosa (three in 2001) and Dave Kingman (two in 1979).

"The quality of at-bat in the second half, it's been super consistent up and down the lineup, and it's been tough on opposing teams," Bregman said. "Guys are battling, knowing what kind of player they are, and putting together a really good at-bat. Overall, in general, a good start to the series. Once the clock hits midnight, it's a new day and get after it again tomorrow."

The Cubs (78-60) feasted on Brewers starter Kyle Harrison's fastball. Their first seven runs came off the lefty's heater, helping the Cubs build a 9-0 advantage through four innings. Tyrone Taylor (two-run HR), Nico Hoerner (solo HR) and Carson Kelly (RBI single) gave starter Clay Holmes a four-run lead to work with after the first inning. Then Bregman (two-run HR) added on in the second, and the runs kept coming in the fourth thanks to Seiya Suzuki (solo HR), another Bregman long ball (solo HR) and Miguel Amaya's bases-loaded walk.

The Brewers eventually turned to first baseman Andrew Vaughn to pitch for the final two innings, and the Cubs punished him, knocking in seven runs, including three home runs.

Holmes, meanwhile, cruised through six shutout innings with five hits and two walks allowed to accompany eight strikeouts. The muggy weather made it tough at times to get a good grip on his sinker, but he still managed to get 11 called strikes with the pitch and used it to finish off two of his strikeouts. In his last four starts, Holmes has surrendered just one run in 25 innings (0.36 ERA).

"You could kind of feel their energy," Holmes said of the offense. "After a couple series that we lost, you could tell that the position player group really wants to come out strong, and you can feel that. And just to be able to put a zero up there in the first and let them do their thing was nice. Especially pitching to a contact-oriented team and you have that lead, that makes that a little better."

Bregman and NL MVP front-runner Pete Crow-Armstrong became the first MLB teammates to combine for 25+ home runs, 25+ walks, 50+ RBIs and 50+ runs scored in a calendar month since the Yankees' Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in July 1961, per OptaSTATS. They are also the first pair of teammates in Cubs history to each hit at least 12 home runs in a calendar month and the first teammate duo in MLB to accomplish the feat since the Texas Rangers' Rafael Palmeiro and Iván Rodríguez in August 1999.

"He is relentless," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Bregman. "In his preparation and in the daily grind, he's just relentless."

Monday kickstarted a 10-day stretch that will determine whether the Cubs can truly contend for an NL Central title . The Cubs and Brewers square off seven times in that span, with Monday's victory putting the North Siders 7 games back of first-place Milwaukee. Despite their record-setting long balls, the Cubs finished August with a 16-12 record and were unable to put much pressure on the Brewers.

"We get 13 chances to play the Brewers, and then other than that, we don't have any control of the Brewers. They've got to go play their games, and we go play our games," Counsell said before the Cubs' big win. "They're on pace for a big number, I think they're on over a 100-win pace, that's hard to keep up with. You can go ask the rest of Major League Baseball, that's just hard to keep up with. They're having a fabulous season.

"They're a good team. I'm not surprised by that, not surprised at all. We're a good team. I mean, we're not going to be a 100-win team this year. We're a good team. So, that's the story right now."

The Cubs have seen their once sizeable hold on the NL's top wild-card spot evaporate over the last 10 days between a tough West Coast trip and dropping their weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds. The surging Phillies moved into a tie for the first NL wild-card position entering Monday, though the Cubs hold the season series tiebreaker over Philadelphia.

Counsell said the players aren't worrying about postseason positioning right now.

"Does everybody want to play at home as many games as we can? Absolutely, absolutely. We want to play at home. Are we going to shy away from a challenge on the road? Nope. So, that's how we look at it, and that's how every competitor looks at it."