Crow-Armstrong sets Cubs lefty home-run record in 8-4 win over Braves

Pete Crow-Armstrong turned the Cubs’ series finale against Atlanta into a piece of franchise history. His two home runs pushed him to 44 for the season, breaking the Cubs’ single-season record for a left-handed hitter as Chicago beat the Braves 8-4 Wednesday at Wrigley Field.

The victory gave Chicago an 85-68 record and closed a three-game set in which the Cubs answered Tuesday’s 6-3 loss with a much cleaner performance. Shota Imanaga supplied the foundation, allowing one run across six innings while striking out six and keeping Atlanta from building on its early traffic.

Chicago scored first in the opening inning. Alex Bregman doubled to center, and Michael Busch came around to make it 1-0. Crow-Armstrong then supplied the first of his three extra-base hits in the third, sending a 376-foot homer to right for a two-run lead. Bregman matched him in the fourth with a solo shot to left.

The Cubs broke the game open in the fifth. Crow-Armstrong tripled to right to score Carson Kelly, then scored when Bregman tripled to left. Seiya Suzuki also came home on the play, giving Chicago a 6-0 advantage and leaving Bregman with three RBIs.

Atlanta finally got to Imanaga in the sixth when Matt Olson grounded out to bring home Ronald Acuña Jr. The Braves added two more in the seventh, but Crow-Armstrong answered in the bottom half with his second homer, a 394-foot drive to right-center. Chicago added an insurance run in the eighth when Michael Conforto singled home Taylor.

Atlanta’s ninth-inning rally made the final score look closer than the game felt. Mauricio Dubón doubled home a run, and Sean Murphy’s groundout brought home another, but the Cubs’ bullpen closed the door after the lead had already reached four.

Crow-Armstrong finished 3-for-4 with two homers, a triple and two RBIs. Bregman went 3-for-4 with a double, homer, triple and three RBIs. The Cubs collected 13 hits, while the Braves had eight. Imanaga’s six innings were backed by a bullpen that absorbed the final three frames and protected the lead.

The Cubs now move on with a stronger answer to the question that followed Tuesday’s loss: whether the lineup could create separation against a playoff-caliber opponent. Crow-Armstrong’s record and Bregman’s three extra-base hits provided that answer in emphatic fashion.