MILWAUKEE — Willy Adames hit a three-run homer, Aaron Civale pitched six shutout innings against his former team and the Milwaukee Brewers beat Cleveland 5-3 on Friday to snap the Guardians' five-game winning streak.
José Ramírez had a two-run homer and David Fry added a solo shot for Cleveland.
The Brewers won the opener of this series between division leaders after splitting four games with the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week.
''You want to face those teams to see how good you are, if you're ready to go to October and compete against the best of the best," Adames said. ''We've shown this week we can make it happen.''
Civale (4-8) began his major league career with Cleveland in 2019 and remained with the Guardians until they traded him to Tampa Bay on July 31, 2023. The Brewers acquired him from Tampa Bay on July 3 for minor league infielder Gregory Barrios.
It was the second time Civale faced the Guardians since departing Cleveland. He allowed two runs over five innings on Aug. 11 of last season as the Rays defeated the Guardians 9-8.
''I gave some head nods,'' Civale said. ''I'll catch up with them tomorrow.''
Civale struck out four and allowed only four hits and one walk. After going 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his first five appearances with Milwaukee, he's 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA over his last two starts.