MILWAUKEE -- It is nothing new for the Cubs to have their fans pack into Miller Park to neutralize some of the home-field advantage for the Brewers. What had been different this weekend was just how subdued the North Side loyalists had been amidst Chicago's early season struggles.

On Saturday night, the Cubs gave their traveling party reasons to make some noise again in a 14-8 victory. The win was not devoid of bullpen drama -- a theme early on this year -- but it nonetheless allowed the team and its fan base to release a momentary sigh of relief. It was Step 1 in trying to correct the many wrongs that arose over the previous seven games, presenting some early trials for a team already tasked with turning the page on the storylines linked to last year's October exit.

"We know that we need to change the script," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said in a discussion with reporters in the visitors' dugout prior to the game. "It is baseball, but at the same time it's certainly got everyone's attention, and we need to play better."

The Cubs did that against the Brewers, ending a six-game losing streak.

Veteran lefty Cole Hamels did his part with 111 pitches over six solid innings, and the Cubs’ lineup launched four homers in another overwhelming display. That included two blasts from Jason Heyward, who drew two walks, stole two bases and reached base five times. Heyward’s leadoff homer in the eighth helped ignite a seven-run outburst that gave Chicago its fourth game with 10-plus runs this year.

That team-wide outpouring helped, at least for the moment, shift some of the focus away from the National League Central standings. The fact that anyone was looking at a division deficit this early explains just how alarming the Cubs' start (2-6) has been in contrast to the Brewers' strong run (7-2).

"We all know it's a competitive division," Epstein said. "It's not the time to dig yourself in a really deep hole and have to dedicate months to getting out of it. We need to try to nip this thing in the bud and claw back to .500, go on a winning streak, have a really good homestand, a really good road trip, whatever it may be.

"And kind of claw our way back quickly so it doesn't become a season-defining thing, a season-defining hole that we're trying to crawl out of. We want to turn it around very quickly."

How badly did Chicago need to notch its first win since Opening Day?

"We needed it like oxygen," Cubs manager Joe Maddon quipped.

Beyond just needing to stop Milwaukee from building a daunting lead atop the NL Central, Chicago needed to end its six-game skid due to the public blame game building across news outlets, radio waves and social media.

For the bullpen issues, some fingers have pointed to team chairman Tom Ricketts for tightening the budget and, in turn, limiting what Epstein could do to address a clear need. First-year pitching coach Tommy Hottovy has also been the target of criticism, as he is the new face of staff leadership. Veteran Jon Lester said in Atlanta that the team was pressing, so maybe all the talk of urgency in the spring heaped too much pressure on the players' shoulders too soon.

"It's not the start that any of us wanted," Epstein said. "And we’re sorry we're putting our fans through this."

If anyone should be blamed, Epstein said to aim the bullseye his way.

"There's always a search for scapegoats when you get off to a tough start," Epstein said. "Tommy Hottovy is not the problem. He's a big part of the solution. Tom Ricketts is not the problem. It's not a resource issue. I know he's another one who's been taking a lot of heat. It's not a resource problem. If people have a problem with the allocation of resources, then that's me. And it has been ever since I got here. So, a lot of good and some bad.

"And it's a team-wide issue. We know we have to play better ball. But, the sort of search for magic bullets or scapegoats, I don't think that's really productive. I understand it, but ultimately, it's all my responsibility. How we play on the field, the talent that we have, the direction we're headed. And yet, I'm not in it alone. Thank God, we have really talented people here. We have great players that we trust, and we're all going to be part of pulling out of this."

Maddon felt that Saturday's win summed up the season so far. The lineup, which has a .918 OPS and has scored 7.5 runs per game, was prolific once again. The bullpen, which has a 9.51 ERA on the young season, was charged with six runs in three innings.

"You saw what we've been doing," Maddon said. "We've got to get better out of the bullpen."

In the meantime, the Cubs will enjoy the deep breath that arrived with their first win since March 28.

"We're back on the winning train right now,” said Hamels, who then let out a slight laugh, “with a one-game streak."