CHICAGO -- The wind was blowing on a warm, sunny afternoon at Wrigley Field.

The Chicago Cubs were able to reap the benefits of the conditions more than the Atlanta Braves did.

Catcher Miguel Montero and right fielder Jorge Soler hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning to propel the Cubs to a 9-7 victory over the Braves on Saturday.

"I just thought, if (the Braves) hit the ball in the air, there's a good chance it's going out to the left side, and it could happen for you also," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We decided on four homers. So we took advantage of it ourselves."

Montero's 12th home run of the season, a solo shot off former Cubs reliever Edwin Jackson, gave Chicago the lead.

"At the end of the day, you have to execute and keep the ball on the ground," Jackson said.

Shortstop Addison Russell and first baseman Anthony Rizzo also homered for the Cubs, who have won 18 of 22 overall and three straight against the Braves.

Left fielder Nick Swisher homered from both sides of the plate for the Braves, who have lost six straight and 21 of 29. They are 21-46 on the road, the most losses away from home in the majors.

"In this ballpark, you always got to try to get some more (runs)," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "The ball was carrying."

Cubs starter Dan Haren allowed four runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He hasn't pitched past the sixth inning since June 19.

"Obviously, I'd like to do better, be out there longer and stuff like that," Haren said. "When it comes down to it, with 40-50 games left, it's just about winning games."

Maddon endorsed Haren despite his struggles. He has allowed 28 home runs this season.

"I like Danny a lot," Maddon said. "I really believe he's going to be a big help to us down the stretch. He's such a professional. I like this fella. You got to love his attitude and how he goes about his business."

Atlanta starter Williams Perez didn't fare much better. He gave up six runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He had lost four straight starts after coming off the disabled list July 31 after recovering from a foot contusion.

The Cubs went ahead in the first inning when center fielder Dexter Fowler led off with a triple and scored on Rizzo's groundout to first.

Swisher hit a two-run homer to give the Braves the lead in the second.

Russell tied it on a two-out RBI single to center field in the bottom of the second.

Rizzo's 25th home run of the season gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead in the third. He has hit at least 25 homers in consecutive seasons and is the fifth Cubs left-handed batter with multiple 25-homer seasons.

The Braves rallied for five runs in the fifth.

After Travis Wood replaced Haren with two on and one out, first baseman Freddie Freeman doubled in the tying run and catcher A.J. Pierzynski followed with a two-run single.

Swisher then hit his second homer of the game, a two-run shot off

the left-field videoboard. It was the 21st multi-homer game of his career.

"Individually, it was a good day," Swisher said. "But you want to stop

that losing streak."

Third baseman Kris Bryant and Montero hit back-to-back doubles to pull the Cubs to one in the bottom of the fifth.

Russell's ninth home run of the season tied the score 7-7 in the sixth. A review confirmed the home run after replays showed a fan leaned over the center field basket in an attempt to catch the ball.

The Cubs rallied from a four-run deficit and a National League-best 18-4 since July 29.

"That's a big part of it -- when you're able to answer to the other team's surges," Maddon said. "I felt the whole time our guys felt we could come back in that game. I never got the impression we were out of that."

NOTES: The Mets announced they have acquired INF/OF Eric Young Jr. from the Braves for cash considerations. Young was expected to report to Triple-A Las Vegas. He hit .169 in 35 games with Atlanta this season. ... Cubs 2B Chris Coghlan has hit four home runs in his last seven games to give him 15 this season. Maddon noted that Coghlan is becoming more comfortable playing second base and he has "an almost elite-level slugging percentage" at .456 entering Saturday. Coghlan isn't pulling the ball and he can hit it to all fields, Maddon said.