Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves
· Major League Baseball0 - 2
Short drives in go-ahead run as Braves top Cubs 2-0 despite another strong start from Imanaga
Short, who filled in at third base while Austin Riley was held out with tightness in his left side, lined a pitch from right-hander Hayden Wesneski (2-2) into the right field corner to drive in Travis d'Arnaud, who doubled with two outs.
“Big. That was great,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Short.
Ronald Acuña Jr. followed with a single to left field to drive in Short for a 2-0 lead.
Imanaga threw five scoreless innings, extending his team record to eight consecutive starts to begin his career without allowing more than two runs. Imanaga stranded two baserunners in the second and third innings and left the bases loaded in the fourth.
“I would say the quality of my fastball was good,” Imanaga said through a translator. “However, knowing the quality of the Braves offense, I was being a little careful. I would have liked to have gone another inning.”
Imanaga had eight strikeouts and lowered his majors-leading ERA to 0.96 despite giving up seven hits with three walks.
“They extended some at-bats on him and he fell behind more often than we’ve seen but it’s still five zeroes,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He definitely gave us a chance to win.”
Counsell was ejected in the fourth inning soon after first base umpire Junior Valentine ruled Acuña successfully checked his swing with two outs and the bases loaded. Imanaga escaped the jam on Acuña's fly ball to right field.
It was Counsell's 29th ejection of his career and first with the Cubs.
Braves right-hander Reynaldo López threw five scoreless innings while giving up two hits and two walks. López's outing was shortened by back tightness but he is not expected to miss a start.
Left-hander Ray Kerr (1-0) recorded three strikeouts in two perfect innings. A.J. Minter pitched the ninth, stranding two baserunners, to earn his first save in four chances, one day after a blown save in a 4-3 loss at the New York Mets.
Acuña, who was picked off first base twice in Sunday's loss at the Mets, was picked off by Imanaga following a first-inning walk.
“What can I say? I was definitely caught by surprise,” Acuña said through a translator. “There's no excuse for it. Those are missed opportunities for the team and something I have to get better at.”
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: RHP Adbert Alzolay was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain. RHP José Cuas was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Alzolay is 1-4 with a 4.67 ERA and has four saves in nine opportunities. ... OF David Peralta opted out of his minor league contract to become a free agent. ... Counsell had no update on Christopher Morel, who was replaced by pinch-runner Pete Crow-Armstrong after drawing a walk in the ninth and then showing discomfort in the batter's box.
Braves: Snitker said a MRI showed only inflammation in Riley's left side. Snitker said Riley will have more treatment on Tuesday but is not expected to spend time on the IL. Short made his first start for Atlanta four days after he was acquired from the Boston Red Sox.
UP NEXT
Braves LHP Chris Sale (5-1, 2.95) will face Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon (3-0, 1.13) on Tuesday night. Sale is 2-1 with a 1.23 ERA in five career games, including three starts, in his career against Chicago.
How can I watch Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves?
- TV Channel: Cubs at Braves 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on MLB.tv.
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Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
9th Inning | Hoerner flied out to center. | |
9th Inning | Happ grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Crow-Armstrong out at second, Bellinger to third. | |
9th Inning | Crow-Armstrong ran for Morel | |
9th Inning | Morel walked, Bellinger to second. | |
9th Inning | Bellinger reached on infield single to second. | |
9th Inning | Minter relieved Lee |
Statistics
CHC | ATL | |
---|---|---|
1 | Games Played | 1 |
1 | Team Games Played | 1 |
0 | Hit By Pitch | 0 |
8 | Ground Balls | 11 |
8 | Strikeouts | 10 |
0 | Runs Batted In | 2 |
0 | Sacrifice Hit | 0 |
5 | Hits | 10 |
0 | Stolen Bases | 0 |
3 | Walks | 4 |
0 | Catcher Interference | 0 |
0 | Runs | 2 |
1 | Ground Into Double Play | 0 |
0 | Sacrifice Flies | 0 |
30 | At Bats | 32 |
0 | Home Runs | 0 |
0 | Grand Slam Home Runs | 0 |
10 | Runners Left On Base | 17 |
0 | Triples | 0 |
0 | Game Winning RBIs | 1 |
0 | Intentional Walks | 0 |
0 | Doubles | 2 |
14 | Fly Balls | 11 |
1 | Caught Stealing | 1 |
124 | Pitches | 151 |
0 | Games Started | 0 |
2 | Pinch At Bats | 0 |
0 | Pinch Hits | 0 |
0.0 | Player Rating | 0.0 |
1 | Is Qualified | 1 |
1 | Is Qualified In Steals | 1 |
5 | Total Bases | 12 |
33 | Plate Appearances | 36 |
0.0 | Projected Home Runs | 0.0 |
0 | Extra Base Hits | 2 |
0.3 | Runs Created | 4.6 |
.167 | Batting Average | .313 |
.000 | Pinch Hit Average | .000 |
.167 | Slugging Percentage | .375 |
.067 | Secondary Average | .156 |
.242 | On Base Percentage | .389 |
.409 | OBP Pct + SLG Pct | .764 |
0.6 | Ground To Fly Ball Ratio | 1.0 |
0.3 | Runs Created Per 27 Outs | 5.4 |
5.0 | Batter Rating | 22.0 |
0.0 | At Bats Per Home Run | 0.0 |
0.00 | Stolen Base Percentage | 0.00 |
3.76 | Pitches Per Plate Appearance | 4.19 |
.000 | Isolated Power | .063 |
0.38 | Walk To Strikeout Ratio | 0.40 |
.091 | Walks Per Plate Appearance | .111 |
-.100 | Secondary Average Minus Batting Average | -.156 |
0.0 | Runs Produced | 4.0 |
0.0 | Runs Ratio | 1.0 |
0.2 | Patience Ratio | 0.5 |
0.2 | Balls In Play Average | 0.5 |
61.3 | MLB Rating | 77.8 |
0.0 | Offensive Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
0.0 | Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
Game Information
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 34,582 | Capacity:
2024 National League Central Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Milwaukee | 93 | 69 | .574 | - | L1 |
St. Louis | 83 | 79 | .512 | 10 | W1 |
Chicago | 83 | 79 | .512 | 10 | L1 |
Cincinnati | 77 | 85 | .475 | 16 | W1 |
Pittsburgh | 76 | 86 | .469 | 17 | L1 |
2024 National League East Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia | 95 | 67 | .586 | - | W1 |
Atlanta | 89 | 73 | .549 | 6 | W1 |
New York | 89 | 73 | .549 | 6 | L1 |
Washington | 71 | 91 | .438 | 24 | L1 |
Miami | 62 | 100 | .383 | 33 | W4 |