CHICAGO _ Ryan Braun is closing out 2016 strong.
The Milwaukee Brewers left fielder homered twice and drove in five runs, leading an impressive power-hitting display in an 11-3 drubbing of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Domingo Santana and Chris Carter also homered late as the Brewers turned a close game into a blowout in the final innings.
It was the sixth multi-homer game of the season for Braun, who now has 30 for the first time since finishing as runner-up in the National League MVP balloting in 2012.
The Brewers scored all 11 of their runs after falling behind, 3-0, in the first inning. Braun's sixth-inning homer off Cubs starter Jake Arrieta put Milwaukee in front to stay, 4-3.
Fielding a watered-down lineup sans stars like Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist and Dexter Fowler, the Cubs jumped on Brewers starter Zach Davies early.
Kris Bryant tripled in the first run two batters into the Chicago first. Then on Davies' next pitch, Chris Coghlan lifted a two-run homer out to right to make it 3-0.
Davies struck out the side from there, and faced the minimum over the next two innings before doing some of his best work in the fourth.
After the Brewers got a run back on an RBI single by Braun in the top half, the Cubs loaded the bases with nobody out after singling twice and drawing a walk from Davies. He responded by striking out Matt Szczur, and then got a 6-4-3 double-play ball from Munenori Kawasaki to escape the jam unscathed.
Davies (11-3) departed after five innings, allowing seven hits, three runs (earned) and a walk with five strikeouts in an 86-pitch outing.
The Brewers' first sustained rally against Arrieta came in the sixth.
Jonathan Villar drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on a Scooter Gennett ground-rule double to open the inning. Braun followed with a booming two-run homer to left-center, giving Milwaukee its first lead at 4-3.
Braun put the game out of reach in the eighth, with a two-run shot to left-center that made it 6-3.
Santana hit a solo shot two batters later. Then in the ninth, Carter crushed a grand slam off the scoreboard in left-center to cap the scoring. It was the third career grand slam and 35th homer of the season for Carter, who also tied the Brewers' single-season strikeout record with his 188th earlier in the game.
