Brewers starters offset Cubs’ potent lineup

MILWAUKEE — David has just taken a series from Goliath.

What happened between the Brewers and the Cubs over the last three games was well off the form charts.

The Brewers won two out of three behind starting pitching that went from being a problem to becoming a solution in this series. The Cubs, averaging nearly six runs per game, were held to seven runs in 31 innings in this series.

The Cubs came in with baseball’s best record by a lengthy margin. Their run differential entering this series was a breathtaking plus-107. This was greater than the combined run differentials of the teams that were second and third in that category, the Red Sox and the Cardinals.

The Brewers entered this series already 12 games behind the Cubs. The Brewers are in the first full season of a rebuilding project. The Cubs have been completely, successfully rebuilt.

So yes, the Brewers were decided underdogs going into this one. Against a powerful Cubs offense, the Brewers had the worst starting-pitching ERA in the Majors.

But here, the Brewers got the start of Chase Anderson’s professional life in the opener, with Anderson carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning in what became a 4-2 victory. Jimmy Nelson, the one Milwaukee starter who had consistently performed well, threw 7 1/3 shutout innings in what ended as a 2-1 loss in 13 innings.

• Guerra, Crew rotation getting groove back

On Thursday in the rubber match, Junior Guerra, a 31-year-old who defines the term “well-traveled,” struck out 11 — a season high for the Brewers — in seven innings to earn his third win of the season in a 5-3 Milwaukee victory.

“It was going to get …

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