Cleveland Guardians' Gavin Williams reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

MILWAUKEE — Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio homered and the Milwaukee Brewers scored seven runs in the first four innings in a 9-4 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.

Chourio’s two-run shot in the fourth gave him six homers in his last seven games.

One night after making his major league debut, Milwaukee’s Cooper Pratt got his first hit and scored his first run in the second inning. Pratt also singled home a run in the eighth for his first RBI.

Cleveland wasted a grand slam from Daniel Schneemann as Gavin Williams (9-4) allowed a career-high seven earned runs in five innings. Williams had given up seven runs just once before, in a 9-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 24, 2023. Only five of the runs were earned in that 2023 appearance.

Williams was bidding for his 10th win of the season, which would have enabled him to match Milwaukee’s Aaron Ashby for the major league lead.

But he struggled right from the start.

Yelich led off the first inning by connecting on a 3-2 pitch and delivering a 387-foot shot to left center. Two outs later, Williams issued back-to-back walks to William Contreras and Jake Bauers before Sal Frelick doubled home both runners.

Milwaukee made it 5-0 in the second as Yelich singled home Pratt and scored on Brice Turang’s double.

After not putting any runners on base in the first three innings, Cleveland got back into the game in the fourth. Milwaukee’s Brandon Sproat loaded the bases on two walks and a single before Schneeman sent a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall to cut the Brewers’ lead to 5-4.

Sproat left with a right hamstring cramp later in the fourth inning.

Chad Patrick (4-3) struck out seven and allowed one hit in 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief to help preserve Milwaukee’s lead. Cleveland got just three hits all night.

Up next

Parker Messick (6-3, 2.86 ERA) was set to start for Cleveland against Shane Drohan (3-2, 3.59) in the series finale today.