Camp report: Brewers open Cactus League play with split-squad wins

Todd Rosiak
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Eric Sogard laces a two-run triple to put the Brewers ahead to stay in the teams' Cactus League opener on Friday at the Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix.

On the field: The Brewers opened Cactus League play in style, beating the Chicago Cubs, 2-1, at Maryvale and the San Francisco Giants, 6-5, in Scottsdale.

Nine pitchers each threw an inning for the Brewers at home, with the Cubs scratching out their run in the third off Oliver Drake. Eric Sogard's two-run triple in the fourth put Milwaukee in front to stay.

Corbin Burnes, the Brewers' 2017 minor-league pitcher of the year, picked up the victory with an efficient fourth inning that included a pair of strikeouts.

BOX SCORES:Brewers (ss) 2, Cubs 1 |  Brewers (ss) 6, Giants 5

"We threw a lot of strikes today. I think that's what I was encouraged about," manager Craig Counsell said. "Guys all got through their innings clean; we didn't have any fire alarms going off in the bullpen. They all did a nice job and set themselves up really well to come back in a couple days and pitch again."

Christian Yelich went 1 for 3 with a single and two strikeouts in his Brewers debut.

In Scottsdale, Travis Shaw drove in a pair of runs and Lorenzo Cain and 2017 first-round pick Keston Hiura had two hits apiece.

Starter Aaron Wilkerson struck out a pair in his lone inning of work, and Josh Uhen held on in a rocky ninth to pick up the save.

Jon Perrin had a tough day, allowing five hits (including a home run) and four runs in a 2/3-inning outing.

Weather: 59 degrees, cloudy.

Cactus juice: Just two games into the Cactus League schedule, the Brewers will already be experiencing a circus-like atmosphere. They travel to Tempe to face the Angels and Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani, who will be making his first major-league appearance.

Ohtani, 23, is slated to both start games as a right-handed pitcher and serve as designated hitter on days he's not pitching in the regular season. 

"I'll take atmosphere every time. So we'll go to a fun atmosphere," Counsell said. "The players will tell you the same thing – every time they can play in a fun atmosphere, they're excited for it."

Scoreboard: Brewers 2, Cubs 1 and Brewers 6, Giants 5. Record: 2-0. Saturday: Brewers at Angels, 2:10 p.m. Milwaukee RPH Chase Anderson vs. LAA RHP Shohei Ohtani. Broadcasts: TV – FS Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620. 

Countdown: 33 days until the Brewers' season opener March 29 in San Diego.