MILWAUKEE (Interstat) — In a stunning and swift reversal of fortune, the Chicago Cubs’ explosive start was completely erased by a relentless Milwaukee Brewers offense, which powered to a 7-3 victory in Game 2 of their National League Division Series on Monday night at a raucous American Family Field.

A crowd of 42,787 watched as the Brewers seized a commanding two-games-to-none lead in the best-of-five series, pushing the Cubs to the brink of elimination. The series now shifts to Chicago for Game 3 on Wednesday.

The game began as a nightmare for the home fans. Facing Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski, the Cubs’ offense ignited immediately. After a flyout, Nico Hoerner singled and Kyle Tucker walked, setting the stage for Seiya Suzuki. The Cubs’ right fielder delivered a crushing blow, launching a three-run homer to left-center field to silence the Milwaukee crowd and give Chicago a 3-0 lead before many had settled into their seats.

The jubilation was short-lived. Brewers starter Shota Imanaga, tasked with protecting the early advantage, immediately ran into trouble in the bottom of the first. After recording two quick strikeouts, Imanaga allowed back-to-back singles to William Contreras and Christian Yelich. Andrew Vaughn then stepped to the plate and answered Suzuki in emphatic fashion, blasting a three-run homer of his own to left field, knotting the score at 3-3 and reinvigorating the stadium.

“That first inning was a whirlwind,“ a statement from the Cubs’ media relations department read. “We came out with a great approach, but we couldn’t sustain it, and their response was immediate and powerful.“

The Brewers took the lead for good in the third inning. With two outs, Contreras, who had singled in the first, turned on a pitch from Imanaga and sent a solo home run into the left-field seats, making it 4-3.

Milwaukee broke the game open in the fourth. After a hit-by-pitch and a strikeout, Joey Ortiz singled to put two runners on for the young phenom Jackson Chourio. The left fielder connected on a towering drive to center field, a three-run shot that stretched the lead to 7-3 and effectively put the game out of reach.

While the Brewers’ bats were piling up 11 hits, their bullpen was utterly dominant after Misiorowski’s shaky start. The right-hander, credited with the win to improve to 6-3, settled in after the first inning, ultimately pitching three full frames, allowing just the one hit and no earned runs while striking out four.

Following Misiorowski, a parade of Milwaukee relievers combined to throw six perfect innings. Jared Koenig, Chad Patrick, Abner Uribe, Nick Mears, and Trevor Megill retired all 18 Cubs batters they faced from the fourth inning through the final out, striking out six and extinguishing any hope of a Chicago comeback.

Imanaga, the Cubs’ starter, was saddled with the loss, falling to 9-9 on the season. He was charged with all seven Brewers runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. Colin Rea provided a bright spot for the Cubs’ pitching staff, delivering 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, but the damage had already been done.

The Cubs’ offense, which looked so potent in the first inning, mustered only four hits total and went silent after the first frame. Suzuki’s home run accounted for all three of their runs and RBIs.

The victory gives the Brewers, who finished the regular season with a 99-65 record, a firm stranglehold on the series. The Cubs, now 94-73, return to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field facing a must-win situation in every subsequent game. The loss continues a troubling trend for Chicago, which also dropped Game 1 of the series 9-3 on Saturday. The Brewers have now won five of the last six meetings between the two NL Central rivals.

The pregame projections from Interstat, which had favored the Cubs 6-4 and gave Milwaukee a 59.5% probability to win based on its ELO system, were proven half-correct. While the Brewers were indeed victorious as the betting favorite with a -1.5 spread, the combined 10 runs went over the posted over/under line of 7.5, contrary to the simulator’s prediction of a higher-scoring affair.

All focus now turns to Wednesday’s contest at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs will fight to extend their season while the Brewers look to complete a sweep and advance to the National League Championship Series.