The Chicago Cubs used a three-run fifth inning to earn a 6-4 victory and clinch a three-game series win over the visiting Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
The Cubs entered the home half of the fifth down 3-2, but Ian Happ and Jeimer Candelario hit RBI singles with Cody Bellinger chipping in an RBI double. The outburst gave Chicago the lead for good at 5-3.
The Cubs have been red hot in the second half, winning 15 of their last 19 games. It was a group effort Sunday with four different Cubs collecting an RBI and eight batters reaching base.
Justin Steele (13-3) struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits with four walks to tie for the MLB lead with his 13th win.
Ozzie Albies led the charge for the Braves with three hits. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson had two hits apiece and totaled nine RBIs across the series, with Olson driving in six of them.
Charlie Morton (10-10) went 4 1/3 innings for the Braves, allowing five runs on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
The Braves got on the board first in the third inning when Olson launched a 453-foot home run for his NL-leading 39th of the season, scoring Acuna, who had singled.
The Cubs were able to answer in the bottom frame by getting those two runs back on just one hit.
Happ hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded but was able to leg out the throw to first to get the Cubs their first run. Morton then walked Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson to bring home another run before getting Jeimer Candelario to fly out to end the 37-pitch inning.
The Braves answered in the top of the fifth with Olson getting his third RBI of the day on a single to left that scored Albies from second for a 3-2 lead.
Michael Fulmer came in for Steele in the sixth with the bases loaded and hit Acuna to get the Braves within one run at 5-4, but he struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.
Swanson delivered an RBI double against his former team in the seventh to give the Cubs a 6-4 lead.
After allowing a leadoff double in the ninth inning, Cubs right-hander Adbert Alzolay retired the next three hitters to earn his 14th save.
–Field Level Media
