BOX SCORE

For a series that started on a sour note, the Chicago Cubs left Atlanta with some pretty good momentum.

The Cubs (83-63) clawed back from a three-game skid to take the second two games against the Braves (65-81) and secure a series win heading back to Wrigley Field on Friday.

Here are three things we learned as the Cubs’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now 8:

Back in action 

Jameson Taillon started Wednesday in his first outing since Aug. 24. He had exited his start that day against the Los Angeles Angels after only 62 pitches, later citing groin tightness and landing on the IL on Aug. 28 with a strain. 

Luckily for Taillon and the Cubs, it was a minimum stint — which meant he was tasked with carving out a series win in Wednesday’s finale in Atlanta. 

It also meant he was going head-to-head with dominant Braves lefty Chris Sale — but Taillon held his own incredibly well. 

Taillon struck out the first batter he saw, Jurickson Profar, and pitched around a walk to Matt Olson to induce an inning-ending double play off Ronald Acuña Jr.’s bat. 

The Braves took the lead in the bottom of the third following back-to-back doubles, but Taillon limited the damage to just one run before the Cubs’ offense took the lead via a Carson Kelly solo shot and a Justin Turner RBI double. 

A leadoff double and then a single in the fifth put Taillon’s night in jeopardy, leading manager Craig Counsell to bring lefty reliever Taylor Rogers on to wriggle out of the jam. Rogers did the best he could, inducing a run-scoring sacrifice fly and a groundout to leave the frame with the Cubs still ahead by a run. 

Taillon’s final line after 4.1 innings of work featured two earned runs on six hits, along with two strikeouts and two walks. His season ERA stands at 4.15 after 20 starts. 

A ship that just won’t Sale 

Chris Sale first faced the Cubs on June 20, 2011. Over 14 years later, the 36-year-old southpaw took the ball for the Braves in the series finale. 

In reviewing the six times he’d played them entering Wednesday, it’s safe to say he enjoys the matchup. 

Last year’s NL Cy Young Award winner sported a career 0.93 ERA with 41 strikeouts across 29 innings when he pitched against the Cubs. That includes his outing as a member of the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 16, 2015, when he struck out 15 Cubs in just seven innings. 

The Cubs have struggled against lefty starters this year, making the matchup against Sale an even taller task.

Sale, who was making just his third start since returning from the 60-day IL with a fractured left ribcage, didn’t look quite as sharp as he normally has in the past — but he still managed to puzzle Cubs hitters with his lethal stuff, striking out nine over just five innings and 93 pitches.

The Cubs still did their part in the times that they did make contact with one of Sale’s nasty sliders. 

First came Kelly’s 17th home run of the year to tie the game at 1. The Cubs kept the pressure on in that inning, with Dansby Swanson’s single and Turner’s double giving the Cubs the advantage. And yes, all three of those hits came off of sub-80-mph sliders. 

The Cubs finally forced Sale out of the game after Seiya Suzuki’s sacrifice fly gave the Cubs a 3-1 lead in the fifth.

Hoerner in your corner

If there was anyone determined to get the Cubs a series win on Wednesday, it was Nico Hoerner.

Hoerner began his night with three consecutive singles off Sale that each left his bat at over 100 mph. The first, at 102.2 mph, was Sale’s first offering of the game. 

Mixed into Hoerner’s 3-for-4 night were two stolen bases — his 25th and 26th bags of the season. The second stolen base turned into the go-ahead run when he took second on Sale’s pickoff error and then third before Suzuki’s flyout cashed him in.

Hoerner’s elite plate discipline was also on full display, and it’s a big part of the reason why Counsell bats him leadoff against lefties like Sale. It showed especially in Hoerner’s third time facing Sale, when he proceeded to take three balls and foul off four pitches before getting a knock on the tenth pitch of the at-bat. 

Hoerner’s plate appearance in the fifth is a visual representation of the increased discipline he’s shown this season: He has a career-low 7.2% strikeout rate this season, compared to 10.3% last year and 12.1% in 2023.