Johan Camargo hit a go-ahead double with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, and the host Atlanta Braves pulled away for a 6-4 win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.
Atlanta trailed 4-2 when Camargo belted a one-hopper to the wall to drive in Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis and Ronald Acuna Jr. Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies also homered for Atlanta, which won its second in a row.
Willson Contreras finished 3-for-4 with a two-run home run for Chicago, which dropped its fourth straight game.
Braves reliever Luke Jackson (1-0) earned the win in relief after pitching a scoreless eighth inning. Arodys Vizcaino registered his first save of the season and the 50th of his career with a scoreless ninth.
Cubs reliever Steve Cishek (0-1) drew the loss after walking the bases loaded in the eighth. He squandered a strong start from left-hander Jon Lester, who gave up two runs in six innings and drove in a run at the plate.
The Cubs jumped to a 1-0 lead in the second inning thanks to an unlikely source. Lester, who entered the game with a lifetime batting average of .093 (25-for-270), singled to shallow right field to drive in Contreras.
In the third, the Braves plated a pair of runs to seize a 2-1 lead. Swanson led off the inning with a shot over the right-field wall for his second homer. Albies followed up two batters later with a solo blast, his first of the season, on a fastball that Lester left up in the strike zone.
Chicago responded with two runs in the sixth to jump back on top 3-2. Kyle Schwarber drew a leadoff walk, and Contreras followed with a towering, two-run homer that landed in the shrubbery beyond the center-field wall.
Contreras' blast was estimated at 452 feet, which marked the third-longest homer in the history of SunTrust Park, according to ESPN. The ball rocketed off Contreras' bat at 112.9 mph.
The Cubs made it 4-2 in the seventh when Rizzo scored from third base on a wild pitch in the dirt by Jesse Biddle.
Camargo put the Braves back on top with his three-run double in the eighth. Swanson added a sacrifice fly two batters later to drive in Camargo and finish the scoring.
--Field Level Media
Chi. Cubs | Atlanta | |
Jon Lester | Player | Julio Teheran |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
6.0 | IP | 5.0 |
7 | Strikeouts | 7 |
6 | Hits | 6 |
3.00 | ERA | 1.80 |
Chi. Cubs | Atlanta | |
Willson Contreras | Player | Ozzie Albies |
3 | Hits | 3 |
2 | RBI | 1 |
1 | HR | 1 |
6 | TB | 6 |
.750 | Avg | .750 |