PHOENIX -- Rhys Hoskins took a mighty swing at an offering from D-backs starter Eduardo Rodriguez in the top of the fourth inning. The crack of the bat that echoed throughout Chase Field indicated the ball had plenty of distance to reach the seats.

The only question was -- would it remain fair?

Hoskins’ blast stayed to the right of the left-field foul pole, giving him his 24th homer -- a two-run jack -- of the season and the Brewers a 2-1 lead, which would hold on to be the final score on Friday night against the D-backs.

The Brewers dropped their magic number to clinch the National League Central over the Cubs to five and picked up a key win to start the series against the team that eliminated them at home in last year’s NL Wild Card Series.

Freddy Peralta struck out five batters over five frames, allowing just one run, which came on a sacrifice fly from Pavin Smith in the first inning. The 28-year-old earned the win in his 30th start of the season, marking the second consecutive season he’s reached that mark for Milwaukee.