MILWAUKEE _ How best to bounce back from consecutive gut-busting losses?
For the Milwaukee Brewers, it was a crisply played shutout sparked by starting pitcher Zach Davies.
The right-hander threw six-plus strong innings and maybe just as important, the bullpen atoned for the previous couple days' misdeeds with some strong relief.
Throw in home runs from Eric Thames and Domingo Santana, and a 3-0 defeat of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon at Miller Park was just what the doctor ordered.
"It was huge for us," said closer Corey Knebel, who shut the door with a three-strikeout ninth. "The past two games have been pretty tough so to get that win today, especially a shutout, was very important."
It was just the second shutout of the season for the Brewers, who avoided a series sweep by a Dodgers team that had dealt them late, crushing defeats both Friday and Saturday.
The Brewers grabbed a quick 1-0 lead when Thames went deep to right-center off Kenta Maeda in the first. It was his 15th homer of the season, and second in his last five games.
"Just a nice easy swing," said manager Craig Counsell. "He just touched the ball and it went out of the park, so he's close (to heating up) to me."
Eric Sogard, once again serving as a sparkplug in the leadoff spot, made it 2-0 with a two-out RBI single in the second.
Milwaukee managed only two hits and four baserunners over the next five innings, but Davies and the bullpen made those two early runs hold up.
After Logan Forsythe opened the game by reaching on a throwing error by Orlando Arcia, Davies retired the next 13 batters before Yasmani Grandal rolled an infield single up the middle for the Dodgers' first hit.
Davies finished out the fifth with no further damage, and worked around a two-out walk in the sixth to head into the seventh at 93 pitches and with the heart of the Los Angeles order coming up.
Adrian Gonzalez greeted Davies with a single to center, then Cody Bellinger reached by bunting against the defensive shift to put two on with nobody out.
That ended the day for Davies (6-3), who has yet to get past six innings after 12 starts. Still, it was easily his best overall outing as he allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out six over 101 pitches.
Oliver Drake replaced Davies and induced a 6-3 double-play grounder from Grandal, then Jacob Barnes picked up the final out to end the threat.
Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth, then Santana provided an insurance run with his shot to left-center with one out in the eighth. It was his 10th, and gave the Brewers three players with double-figure homers in Thames, Santana and Travis Shaw (10).
"His at-bats have been really impressive," Counsell said. "He's taken a step forward this year, there's no question. He's really maturing as a hitter, and you see it in his at-bats.
"Even as the season is going on, he's getting better."
Knebel, having blown save chances in each of his previous two opportunities at home, was back to dominating hitters with his high-90s fastball. He walked Gonzalez but fanned Chris Taylor, Bellinger and Grandal _ all of whom had big homers in the previous two games _ to end it.
