Atlanta’s visiting Braves turned a 3‑0 deficit into a 6‑3 triumph on Tuesday night in Chicago, thanks to a trio of two‑run home runs from Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin.
Key moments
The Cubs jumped ahead early in the second inning when Michael Busch singled, Matt Shaw walked and Pedro Ramírez’s base‑hit produced the first run. A throwing error by Mauricio Dubón on a grounder later in the inning added a second, and Miguel Amaya’s sacrifice fly made it 3‑0.
Atlanta answered in the sixth. Baldwin singled, then Acuña Jr. smashed his 18th homer of the season, pulling the Braves within one run. After a brief rally that included a Matt Olson single, the Braves held the lead.
The seventh inning saw Albies’ 22nd homer of the year, a solo shot that gave Atlanta its first lead of the night, 4‑3. Reliever Didier Fuentes struck out two in two perfect innings to preserve the advantage.
In the ninth, Albies stole second and later Baldwin delivered a two‑run blast into the right‑field basket, extending the margin to 6‑3. The Braves’ bullpen, anchored by Raisel Iglesias’ 33rd save, closed out the game without incident.
Implications for the standings
The win lowered the Braves’ magic number to clinch the National League East to five, moving them a step closer to securing the division title. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs, now 84‑68, remain a half‑game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for the top NL wild‑card spot.
In a parallel game, the Milwaukee Brewers clinched the NL Central after the Phillies fell 6‑3 to the Washington Nationals.
Pitching performances
Atlanta starter Martin Perez (9‑9) logged six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out two, earning his 100th career win. Chicago’s Kevin Gausman threw 5 2/3 innings, surrendering two runs on five hits while striking out six and walking none.
Both teams’ bullpens performed admirably, with the Braves’ relief corps delivering a perfect ninth and the Cubs’ Jacob Webb (6‑5) starting the seventh before yielding a walk to Austin Riley.
Looking ahead
With the division race tightening, the Braves will aim to maintain momentum in their next series, while the Cubs will look to rebound and protect their wild‑card position. Fans can expect more high‑stakes baseball as the regular season heads toward its final stretch.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
