Milwaukee 4, Chi. Cubs 2

Ryan Braun hit his 24th homer and added an RBI double as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs with a 4-2 victory on Thursday afternoon.

Casey McGehee chipped in a sacrifice fly and Yuniesky Betancourt doubled in a run for the Brewers, who maintained their slim lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.

Shaun Marcum (10-3) posted his third straight win, scattering two runs and seven hits over six innings before handing it off to the bullpen. LaTroy Hawkins and Francisco Rodriguez each tossed a perfect inning in front of closer John Axford, who struck out a pair en route to his 30th save.

Braun finished with three hits - his third multi-hit effort in the last four games - and homered for the fifth time in the last eight contests. The All-Star slugger gave Milwaukee some breathing room in the third when he took a 3-2 offering from Randy Wells and drove a solo shot deep over the fence in right-center.

Wells (2-4) was charged with all four runs in six innings for Chicago, which traded away outfielder Kosuke Fukudome earlier in the day.

• Milwaukee will play their next game at home against Houston. The Brewers have a W/L % of .509 after a win and .571 after a loss.
• Chi. Cubs will play their next game on the road against St. Louis. The Cubs have a W/L % of .262 after a win and .492 after a loss.