Brewers 9, Cubs 0: Kyle Lohse tossed a three-hitter while Ryan Braun and Scooter Gennett homered as Milwaukee claimed the rubber match of a three-game series with visiting Chicago.

Lohse (7-1) struck out six and needed only 93 pitches for his eight career shutout, and he added a pair of RBI singles. Gennett went 3-for-4 and scored three times while Braun had two hits and scored twice.

Cubs ace Jeff Samardzija (1-5), who began the day with the best ERA in the majors at 1.68, saw that figure balloon to 2.54 after giving up eight runs on eight hits over three innings — the shortest start of his career. Junior Lake, Nate Schierholtz and reliever Brian Schlitter had the three hits for Chicago.

Braun staked Lohse to an early lead with a two-run blast in the first and Lohse added an RBI single in the second before the Brewers broke it open in the third. One run came home on a double play before Lyle Overbay cleared the bases with a three-run double and Lohse added another run-scoring hit for an 8-0 lead.

Gennett added a solo blast in the fifth and Lohse cruised. He worked out of a jam to strand two runners in the seventh and retired the last eight batters of the game.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Chicago 1B Anthony Rizzo was ejected in the fourth for arguing a called third strike. … Brewers LF Khris Davis went 0-for-4, snapping his nine-game hitting streak. … Cubs INF Luis Valbuena sat out a second straight game as a precautionary measure with an abdominal issue.