MILWAUKEE (AP) \u2014 Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio had a simple solution for making sure he didn’t aggravate his hamstring injury Monday night.<\/p>\n
Trotting around the bases after a home run doesn’t require much exertion.<\/p>\n
Chourio returned to the lineup and hit a three-run homer<\/a> to help Milwaukee beat the Chicago Cubs<\/a> 7-3 in Game 2 of their NL Division Series after tightness in his right hamstring caused him to exit the opener<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old phenom has three homers in five career postseason games. He has gone 5 for 7 with six RBIs to help the Brewers take a 2-0 lead in this best-of-five series after going 5 of 11 at the plate last year in a Wild Card Series loss<\/a> to the New York Mets.<\/p>\n \u201cI really just like playing in these moments,\u201d Chourio said through an interpreter. \u201cI think you could say it helps me play at the maximum level that I\u2019m able to do so. And thanks to God that I\u2019ve had the ability to play in these moments that are important and meaningful, and get some of these big hits whenever they\u2019re needed, but also do some of the little things whenever they\u2019re needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Chourio hurt his right hamstring while running to first base on an infield single in the second inning Saturday. He had missed a month of the regular season after straining the same hamstring this summer.<\/p>\n After undergoing a postgame MRI and doing some light running<\/a> in Sunday’s workout, Chourio was back in the leadoff spot and playing left field Monday night. <\/p>\n Brewers manager Pat Murphy acknowledged before the game that he was sure Chourio wasn’t feeling 100%, but the outfielder showed no signs of discomfort. The game started with Chicago’s Justin Turner hitting a flyball in his direction. He also chased down a flyball in foul territory in the fourth.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I\u2019m in a really good position to go out there and compete, so I\u2019m going to go out there and give it the best that I can,\u201d Chourio said. \u201cI felt like I was able to do that today and go out there and make all the plays I needed to make and continue to play the game pretty normal.\u201d<\/p>\n His production at the plate in his brief postseason career has been anything but normal.<\/p>\n Chourio hit two homers<\/a> in the Brewers’ Game 2 victory<\/a> over the Mets in last year’s Wild Card Series. He went 3 for 3 with three RBIs in Milwaukee\u2019s 9-3 Game 1 victory<\/a> Saturday, becoming the first player ever to have three hits in the first two innings of a playoff game.<\/p>\n In the fourth inning of Monday’s game, Chourio connected on an 0-2 pitch from Daniel Palencia and sent a 419-foot shot over the center-field wall. His three-run homer produced the game’s final three runs.<\/p>\n \u201cUnbelievable,” Murphy said. \u201cHe\u2019s 21 years old and doing the things he\u2019s doing in the first couple games here, in the environment, just know that\u2019s special. That\u2019s special. We all wish we could have that \u2014 have that it factor the way Jack-Jack does.\u201d<\/p>\n Chourio followed that up with an infield single in the sixth inning that improved his career postseason batting average to .556.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a star,\u201d teamate William Contreras said through an interpreter. \u201cFor me, I think he\u2019s the best player that we have here, but I like the way that we go about it. No one feels like they\u2019re better than the other, and everyone is here focused on doing their job. He\u2019s got an incredible future ahead of him and an incredible talent with what he does out on the field, and I love watching him go out there from the very first pitch and give it everything he has.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n