MILWAUKEE -- Watching Dexter Fowler jog out to play center field for the first time in more than a month made Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon smile.His swing looked even better to the Cubs.Fowler led off the first with a homer and drove in three runs in his first game back from the disabled list, powering Chicago to a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.How about it? Just right out of the gate, crushes the ball to center-field, Maddon said.Fowler went 3 for 4 with a walk and scored twice after being sidelined with a strained right hamstring. His two-run double to left with the bases loaded in the second drew rousing cheers from the bevy of Cubs fans visiting Milwaukee.Jason Hammel (9-5) allowed four hits and two runs over five-plus innings for his second victory since the All-Star break for NL Central-leading Chicago. He never trailed after Fowler slugged a 3-1 pitch from Jimmy Nelson (6-8) over the center-field wall to lead off the game.I was just happy to be back around the boys, Fowler said.And they were glad to have him back, too. Fowler is just as important inside the clubhouse as he is on the field.I was watching him in center field between innings, and hes like laughing with Addison (Russell), and there goes Jason (Heyward) out to right field, and it just looked right, Maddon said. Of course hes good, what he brings to the table inside is really, really important.Hernan Perez had a run-scoring double for the Brewers, and Ryan Braun hit a solo homer.There were so many fans in Chicago shirts that their boos drowned out cheers from Brewers backers when Braun stepped to the plate in fourth. Braun went deep to center on the first pitch of the at-bat from Hammel for his 14th homer of the year.The Brewers wasted too many other opportunities, going 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.The game every nights going to come down to hitting with runners in scoring position, certainly, and when you go 0 for 9, youre not going to put up big numbers, manager Craig Counsell said.TURNING POINTHammel departed after allowing a leadoff double to Scooter Gennett in the sixth with the Brewers trailing 4-2. Reliever Carl Edwards Jr. then retired the Brewers 3-4-5 hitters in order, capped by strikeouts of Jonathan Lucroy and Chris Carter on six pitches total.WRIGLEY NORTHBy the end of the night, Miller Park felt more like Wrigley Field North after Hector Rondon pitched a scoreless ninth for his 17th save, getting Ramon Flores to fly out to the warning track in right with a runner on second.Even pregame ceremonies had some Chicago flair when cornerback Charles Peanut Tillman, who retired earlier Friday after signing a one-day contract with the NFLs Bears, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.NELSONS NIGHTFowler finished a triple short of the cycle. He had two of the four hits allowed by Nelson, who walked three and allowed four runs -- two unearned -- in five innings.The Cubs three-run second started following a throwing error by Nelson after making a good play jumping high for a bouncer up the middle by Russell. Three batters later, Fowler hit his two-run double.It started off with me throwing the ball away, so I kind of did it myself there. That was pretty much the story, Nelson said.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: Fowler missed 27 games after going on the 15-day DL on June 19. Definitely got some rest. But, you never want to get the rest like this, he said before the game.Brewers: OF Domingo Santana was making progress from his right elbow injury, Counsell said. The starting right fielder has been sidelined since June 8. Were getting close, certainly, Counsell said.UP NEXTCubs: RHP John Lackey (7-6) is looking to overcome a tough five-start stretch, having gone 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in that span.Brewers: RHP Zach Davies (6-4) has turned into one of the teams top starters in his first full year in the majors. He is 6-1 with a 2.95 ERA over his last 13 starts.---Follow Genaro Armas at
http://twitter.com/GArmasAP .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. Fighting on July 4 weekend is special for lightweight Jamel Herring.He represented the United States in the 2012 Olympics and was captain of the boxing team. Before that he served nine years in the U.S. Marines, including two tours of duty in Iraq (where he was a field electrician), the reason why he got such a late start to his professional career.So to be able to fight on the most patriotic of weekends is a big deal for Herring, 30, who will face the most significant opponent of his career when he meets former two-time world title challenger Denis Shafikov in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card on Saturday night (ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 9 p.m. ET) at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania.Its a huge honor and blessing to headline on ESPN on Fourth of July weekend, Herring said. I want to put on a good show. Its an extra special honor on this weekend, being that I was a Marine and to headline, and I want to put on a patriotic and great performance.Herring (15-0, 8 KOs), a 2012 U.S. amateur national champion at 141 pounds, has been brought along slowly by manager Al Haymon but is really ramping up his competition against fellow southpaw Shafikov, of Russia.I have a great deal of respect for Shafikov, Herring said. Tough guy, experienced -- but he had his chance. Its my time. Its my toughest fight on paper, but I feel good. It is my time to earn my respect.Shafikov, 31, has twice fought for a lightweight word title but came up short each time. In his last fight, in December, Shafikov (36-2-1, 19 KOs) lost a unanimous decision challenging Rances Barthelemy for a vacant 135-pound belt. In 2014, he lost a unanimous decision to then-titleholder Miguel Vazquez.Now he hopes to win and pave the way for another opportunity.Everything went well in camp. We had a four-month camp, Shafikov said through a translator. We were supposed to fight a couple of months ago, but when that fight was cancelled, I relaxed for a minute and then this opportunity came up.Herring has a great record and he represented the U.S. in the Olympics. He is still young, and I feel that my experience will be the determining factor. I accepted this fight because a win gets us in line for big opportunities, including another shot at a world championship.Herring grew up in Coram, New York, but now lives in Cincinnati, where he trains with Mike Stafford and is part of the same stable as former four-division world titleholder Adrien Broner. Herring trained in Cincinnati during the early part of his camp to prepare for Shafikov and then relocated to Washington, D.C., to finish up at Barry Hunters talent-rich gym.Camp was great. During my time in D.C., I sparred with [former junior welterweight titlist] Lamont Peterson, said Herring, who noted that Peterson, a right-hander, did him a favor by turning southpaw for their sparring sessions.Although Shafikov is vastly more experienced as a professional compared to Herring, he is also the smalller man.dddddddddddd Herring, at 5-foot-9, will own a four-inch height advantage.I was 15 years old when I first started boxing, Herring said. I had a close friend, and his father was a trainer. When I was a kid, he always asked me and nagged me to come to the gym, but I wasnt really into boxing. I was more into team sports, like basketball, football, and things like that. As a kid, when I thought of boxing, I thought of the Rocky movies -- I saw all the punishment that they would take and I thought, I dont know about that.But after a while, he came by and told me how much fun it was, so I gave it a try one day and I stuck to it for good. I had about 92 amateur fights altogether. I think I had about 14 losses. When I joined the Marine Corps in 2003, I had to take a little break from boxing, so I didnt get back into it until 2006. Then the Marine Corps deployed me back to Iraq again in 2007. Then I came back in 2008 and started boxing again.One of his sons, Stephen, was born while he was deployed in Iraq.With his Olympic credentials, connections to Haymon and a strong work ethic, Herring is probably not too far away far from getting a shot at a world title, but beating Shafikov is imperative if he wants one.I believe a win will open the doors for a world title [fight], said Herring, a married father of two sons, a daughter and a step-daughter. In my mind, I am taking this fight as a world title fight. That is how important this fight is, and before the end of the year I hope to get a crack at a world title.In the co-feature, 23-year-old Polish junior middleweight Patrick Szymanski (15-0, 9 KOs) will face former world title challenger Silky Wilky Campfort (21-2, 12 KOs) in a 10-round fight.Im excited about the opportunity to take on an experienced opponent, Szymanski said. I think it will be a good test for me and a chance to show off my skills.Ive worked very hard so that I can leave an impression with my performance. These are the kind of fights that I have to win and win in style if I want to reach my goals in this sport.Campfort, 31, born in Haiti and based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is coming off a fourth-round knockout loss challenging Jermall Charlo for his 154-pound world title in November. He is not sure what to expect from Szymanski.I dont know too much about my opponent, but I did see him fight once in Tampa, Campfort said. Come Saturday night, I will see what he has. It means a lot to fight on ESPN. The first fight that I saw that involved a fellow Haitian was Daniel Edouard on ESPN and it gave me a lot of motivation to pursue my career. I am not only fighting for myself, but all of the people in Haiti and Florida that have been supporting me.A win will put me right back into where I was when I had my long winning streak. A win will put me back in the mix at 154 pounds. ' ' '
